The Revenge Killer
by Lizzie Raine
Summary: Sue has been receiving threatening notes from a stalker. He has specific rules with consequences if she breaks them. Sue is kidnapped and Jack must find her before time runs out. Rated T for intense sequences.
1. Saturday

Saturday

4:30 pm

Lucy Dotson walked into the bullpen and looked around for her roommate and best friend. The work day was almost over and Lucy desperately needed Sue's help. She spotted Sue sitting on the floor next to Jack Hudson, a special agent.

Lucy waved to get her attention. "Hey Sue, I really need your help."

"Sure Luce, what do you need?"

"I was invited to go to the Spring Gala tonight but I haven't been able to find a dress yet. I need your help," Lucy said with desperation.

"That's a big event, Luce. You're going to need more than just a dress. Like you told me when I went to the Ice Gala with David, the shoes make the outfit." Sue looked up at Jack and said, "I think that we are done for the day. I'm going to duck out a little early to help Lucy."

"Go. I'll call you if anything big happens." Sue stood and the two women started walking towards the door with Levi following. "Oh, and Lucy, good luck with your date," Jack called after the dark-skinned beauty.

The two friends spent the next hour and a half shopping for the perfect dress and shoes. They were standing in one dress shop with Levi sitting by Sue's feet. There was a pile of dresses ranging in color from black to a gentle cream color that Lucy was currently wearing.

"I think I like the cream one best. It highlights your eyes and is very elegant and sophisticated," Sue commented.

"Are you sure I shouldn't take the pink one? It is a Spring Gala after all."

"We could call and ask Jack what he thinks. I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving his opinion."

"Oh, haha, you little joker. Jack only has opinions on what you are wearing. With anyone else, he is more like Bobby: no girl talk whatsoever," Lucy laughed. Sue blushed slightly at her roommate's comments. Jack Hudson had been her longtime friend and confidante, as well as the object of her affections, as Lucy was well aware of.

"Go with the cream dress. Red accents and pearls will make you the belle of the ball," Sue said, choosing to ignore Lucy's subtle hints.

"You know what, I think you're right." Lucy went back into the dressing room to change back into her other clothes and then came out with the ball gown. She handed the dress to the store employee. "I'll take this one."

8:15 pm

Lucy had just been picked up for her date to the gala and Sue decided that some ice cream and a chick flick was a good way to spend the evening. She had just decided on Princess Bride and was digging into her bowl of rocky road when her computer screen flashed. She had a new email.

Sue opened the email and read the text. " **I think that Lucy should have gone with purple highlights rather than red. Enjoy your night. You never know when you'll have another evening to relax. You know the rules."** Sue's blood ran cold as she read the email. There was an attached picture, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to open it or not. Sue hesitantly clicked on the picture and an image of Lucy outside of their apartment in her cream ball gown with her date appeared.

Setting aside the bowl of ice cream, Sue closed the email. Her stomach churned with the thought that the creep had been outside of her apartment only twenty minutes ago and had been close enough to hurt her roommate. Unpleasant thoughts drifted through her head of what this man was capable of if he were to kidnap Sue or Lucy. These emails had started almost three weeks ago, each one with another picture of one of the two women.

Sue looked over at her phone and debated calling Jack and telling him about the emails she had been receiving. _If I tell him, maybe Lucy and I will be able to go someplace safe and Jack will be able to find the stalker. But, the rules of the stalker say that if I tell anyone, Lucy will die. If he kills Lucy because I told somebody, I don't think I could live with myself. He has shown that he can get close to us without realizing it. He might be able to kill Lucy before we could go into hiding. He may be able to find us while we are in hiding._

Sue was conflicted. She looked down at her hearing dog, Levi. "What do you think, buddy? Should we go tell Jack?" Levi barked once. "Okay. We'll go tell Jack."

She stood up and put her bowl in the sink and turned off the movie. Levi picked up his leash and stood by the door, waiting for Sue to put her coat on. Autumn in DC could get very cold at night. She left a note on the table for Lucy, telling her that she was going to Jack's apartment.

Sue turned and shut off the lights and walked out of her apartment.

9:00 pm

Sue climbed the steps to Jack's apartment and thought about how to tell him. Hey Jack. I've been receiving these emails that I think we should look into at the office. No that won't work. How about, I was wondering if you wanted to go get coffee or a late night snack. There's something I need to tell you. Yeah, that could work. She reached his door and paused, taking a deep breath before she knocked.

She waited a minute before he finally opened the door. "Sue. This is a pleasant surprise. Come on in," Jack said.

Upon entering his apartment, Sue noticed the smell of lasagna and realized that Jack might not want to go out for pizza or coffee. She took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, I should've called before I came over." Before Sue could continue, she caught sight of the beautiful brunnette coming out of Jack's kitchen.

"Oh Sue, you remember Allie. She and I grew up together in Wisconsin." Sue nodded and stretched out her hand to shake Allie's.

"It's good to see you again. Sorry for just showing up. I didn't realize you were in town." Sue turned to Jack. "Levi was bored and decided to go for a walk. We were in the area. I didn't mean to interrupt." She turned to go outside and back to her apartment.

"You're welcome to stay. Allie made a lot of lasagna and we could use the help of Levi to finish it all," Jack offered.

"No thanks, I've got ice cream at home that I can eat. It was nice to see you again, Allie. I'll see you on Monday, Jack."

"At least let me take you home."

"No, it's okay. Levi needs the exercise." Sue went outside and pulled the door shut behind her. A stray tear travelled down her cheek. She had slowly fallen in love with Jack over the years that she had known him. But, for the second time, she found Allie with the man she loved. Sue's heart broke a little.

Levi looked up at his mistress with his brown eyes. "It's okay, Levi. We can talk to him on Monday. We've waited this long. A couple more days won't hurt."

The pair began the walk back to their apartment, sharing in the silence between them. This was one of those nights when Sue wished that she could hear. She wanted to hear the sound of the fountain and the music that surely was coming out of the doors of restaurants. She wanted to hear the crackle of dried leaves under her foot as she walked, the sound of Levi beside her. To hear laughter coming from happy couples.

Sue sighed. If she kept up this thought process, it was going to be a long night of misery. She forced herself to just look and enjoy the sights, rather than wish for things she couldn't have.

Suddenly, a man grabbed her and pulled her into an alleyway. He slammed her up against the wall and covered her mouth with his gloved hand. Sue looked into his eyes and saw evil lurking in their depths. She tried to scream. But the man shook her roughly.

"If you scream, I will kill you right here, right now. If you come quietly with me, there is a chance that you will survive. And tell your stupid dog to stop barking." The man grabbed her arm and started to pull her further down the alley to a car that was waiting.

"Levi, come on. Stop barking," Sue said, barely keeping herself from panicking.

"No, he doesn't come with us." The man pulled out a gun and shot her beloved dog in the side before pulling out a dark strip of cloth and covering Sue's eyes.

"Please, no. Don't do this. I'm deaf, I need my eyes." Sue sobbed. She felt herself be pulled along and shoved roughly into the backseat of a car. The man grabbed her hands and started tying them together so that she wouldn't be able to remove the blindfold.

 _Levi can't be dead. No I don't believe it. The gun was a fake. He missed his shot, something. Levi just can't be dead._ Sue was sobbing these words in her mind, over and over. If she stopped to really think about what had happened, then Sue would collapse and not be able to function. Remaining calm was the only thing that might get her through this ordeal.

She felt the car start beneath her and felt herself jolt backwards as the car began to move. Sue tried to keep track of the turns that the car made, but there were too many of them and soon, she felt herself fall asleep. The hypnotic buzz of the engine and the rocking of the car as it turned, lulled her into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Sunday

Sunday

1:30 am

Sue woke up to the cold air rushing over her body. A hand roughly grabbed her and pulled her from the car into a standing position. Her legs had fallen asleep during the drive and she fell to her knees when her weight transferred to her limbs. The hand dragged her upright again, and held her until her legs were well enough that she could stand on her own.

She assumed that the man who had initially grabbed her was the one that was pulling her forward and up the steps. Sue had stubbed her toe on the first one, and had tried to go more carefully after that. The man finally stopped and made her sit down on a chair of some sort. Her legs were tied and her hands were untied then pulled roughly behind her. The cord bit into her wrists as she struggled to pull free.

A hand slapped her hard across the face, and the shock of the pain was enough to force Sue into submission for the moment. Finally, the man took off her blindfold.

The bright light stabbed her eyes and it took her a moment before her eyes adjusted. The man's face came into focus and the first thing that she noticed were his eyes. They were an intense grey, filled with malice and hunger. Eyes that terrified Sue. She tore her gaze from his and took in his other features. He had dark wavy hair that curled around his ears and over his forehead. He had high cheekbones and a square jaw. If not for his eyes, Sue would have called him handsome. He was well built, obviously very strong and he had an intensity about him that made Sue nervous.

She shrunk away from him and tried to get as far away as the chair and bindings would allow her. She looked away from him, but turned back when he grabbed her jaw and forced her to look at him. Sue focused on his lips, trying to understand what he was saying.

". . . friend and that you won't be back until Monday. If you say anything else, I will kill you." Sue looked at him, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't get everything you said. Could you repeat it."

He smacked her across the face, the blow bringing tears to her eyes. He forced her to look at him. "You will call your roommate, Lucy, and tell her that your friend had an emergency and that you won't be back until Monday morning. If you tell her anything else, I will kill you." Sue nodded that she understood.

Her kidnapper dialed their number on the cell phone and then put it up to Sue's mouth when the machine beeped. "Hey, Luce. Sorry I'm not home, but one of my good friends had an accident and she needs me. I will be gone until Monday morning. I'll see you then."

The man hung up the phone and looked Sue in the eyes. "Oh, we are going to have some fun." Then he put the blindfold back on Sue.

1:45 am

Lucy opened the door into her apartment and closed the door. "Well, it is kind of nice having a roommate that is deaf when you come home late," she said to herself. Careful to not turn on any lights that might wake Sue up, Lucy made her way to her room. However, the red blinking light of the answering machine caught her eye and she changed direction.

She pressed the play button and listened as her best friend's voice came through. "Hey, Luce. Sorry I'm not home, but one of my good friends had an accident and she needs me. I will be gone until Monday morning. I'll see you then." Lucy frowned as she listened to the message.

"I wonder what happened. Sue has never had to leave in the middle of the night before." Lucy yawned. "Oh well, I'll worry about it in the morning," she mumbled as she stumbled into her room. She removed her ball gown and got into her pajamas before falling onto her bed and into a deep sleep.

10:30 am

Lucy woke up to sunlight streaming through her window. She groaned and pulled a pillow over her face, trying to get back to the peace that sleep had brought her. After ten minutes, Lucy knew that she wasn't going to go back to sleep. She threw off her covers and rolled out of bed.

"Oh man, I could really use a hot bath to wash away the ache in my feet. Dancing all night in heels was not the smartest choice I've ever made." Lucy stretched her arms over her head and groaned. Lucy went into the bathroom and took her time in the bath before finally getting out and getting ready to face the day.

"Levi, where's Sue?" she called out, expecting a golden rocket to come speeding towards her. When only silence answered, Lucy tried again. "Levi? Buddy where are you?" There was still no answer.

Lucy went into the kitchen and saw the note that Sue had scribbled the night before. **"Lucy, I'm going to Jack's place and may not be here when you get home."** Lucy picked up the note and looked at it thoughtfully. _Usually Sue is good at throwing out notes that are old. I wonder where she is this morning?_ Suddenly it dawned on Lucy.

She went to the answering machine and replayed Sue's message. Lucy frowned. There were no new messages that would indicate that Sue had arrived safely or that her friend was doing well. A feeling in the pit of her stomach nagged at Lucy. Maybe Sue wasn't alright.

Picking up the phone, Lucy dialed Jack's number. He answered on the third ring.

"Hudson."

"Jack, it's Lucy. Have you heard from Sue at all?"

"She came by last night, but left quickly. Is everything alright?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. I got a message from her late last night saying that one of her friends had an accident and that she went to help them. But I haven't heard from her since then. I don't know where she was going or if she got there safely." Lucy paused. "I don't know, maybe I'm just overreacting."

"When did she say she would be back?"

"She said she would be back by tomorrow morning. I don't know, it's just a feeling I've got. I think something is wrong," Lucy said quietly.

"She told me that she would see me Monday at work. If she hasn't called you by tonight, call me back. Sue could have a perfectly reasonable explanation for why she hasn't called you." Jack tried to convince Lucy that everything was fine, but wasn't able to hide his own concern.

Lucy nodded. Sue is a reasonable person. She's got Levi with her and she will be fine. "Okay, I'll let you know. Thanks Jack." They hung up the phone, each with their thoughts turned to Sue.

10:30 am

Sue felt a sharp pain slap across her face and woke suddenly. She had slept fitfully all night, thinking of the man who had kidnapped her. Nightmares of watching Levi get shot had kept her awake until sheer exhaustion had forced her into a slumber.

The blindfold still covered her eyes, making her world dark and silent. Terror coursed through her veins as her heart pounded. She strained to see anything through the dark, dirty cloth that was wrapped around her head. She stretched out her other senses, trying to determine where her captor was.

Her arms were untied and roughly pulled in front of her only to be bound once more. The man roughly pulled her to her feet after he finished untying her. He held her steady until the feeling returned to her legs and then pulled her along. She felt them leave the warmth of the room she had been in and felt the walls close around her. Sue realized that they were in a hallway.

She felt the walls give way and open up. The man suddenly picked her up and dropped her onto something soft. _A bed_ , she realized. Understanding dawned and Sue started to fight the man who was standing next to her, desperate to avoid the inevitable. Sue began to scream.

7:30 pm

Sue was once again tied to her chair, her clothing rumpled. Her head ached and her throat felt raw. She had screamed herself hoarse.

 _Please Jack. Lucy. Anybody please come find me. Come and save me. God please protect me from this man and save me._ Tears streamed down her face as she silently plead for mercy and help from her Father. Over and over again, Sue repeated her prayers, begging that this nightmare would end for her. _Oh, Levi. I wish you were here with me. You could protect me from this evil man._

Sue sensed the man's approach and shrunk away from him as well as she could. He had tormented her enough for one day. But apparently he wasn't through. Blow upon blow rained down upon her unprotected head and body, leaving her sore and bruised. So heavy were his strikes that it knocked her chair over, causing her to hit her head. Sue cried out when the man began to kick her.

His boots were steel-toed and slammed into her body like a battering ram. Eventually, the pain caused her to pass out, allowing her to sink into oblivion.

8:00 pm

Lucy paced through her apartment, concerned that her best friend had yet to call her. It was about time to call Jack back and let him know that Sue hadn't called. Lucy decided to wait ten more minutes before she would call.

The clock had never moved slower than those ten minutes. Lucy counted every second that ticked on the clock in the kitchen. "Come on, Sue, call. Please call," Lucy muttered. She hadn't left the apartment that day at all, just in case Sue did call.

Finally, after five minutes, Lucy gave up and walked over to the phone to call Jack. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Jack, this is Lucy. Sue hasn't called yet. I'm getting really worried about her. I don't know what to do," Lucy said as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"Okay, I'll come over and we'll figure out something." Jack paused, "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No."

"I'll bring some chinese take-out with me. I'll see you in about twenty minutes." Jack hung up the phone. True to his word, he arrived twenty minutes later with two bags of steaming food from Panda Express.

"No word from her?"

"None. What if something bad has happened?" Lucy said, desperately trying to keep the worry from her voice.

Jack set the bags down and gathered Lucy into his arms. "Everything's going to be alright. Sue is incredibly brave and resourceful. I'm sure she's alright," Jack murmured as he rubbed Lucy's back. He understood the depth of friendship that Lucy and Sue shared, and how much Lucy worried about Sue. He felt the same way.

Finally, Lucy broke the hug and took two shuddering, deep breaths. "What should we do?" she asked.

"Well, first of all, have you tried calling Sue on her blackberry?" Lucy nodded. "When was the last time you tried?"

"Around 7:30 this evening. I've tried multiple times throughout the day, but I haven't been able to get a response from her. It goes straight to voicemail every time."

"Levi is not here, and she has her blackberry, right? It's not somewhere in the house?" Jack clarified. Lucy nodded. "If it goes straight to voicemail, her blackberry might be out of battery or it might be turned off for some reason. If she could, Sue would call us."

"That's what I'm afraid of. She hasn't called, so she can't call us. She might be in some kind of trouble. Maybe her car is broken down, or maybe she got into an accident! She could be in a hospital somewhere and we would have no idea." Lucy was approaching a state of panic.

Jack grabbed her face and forced her to look into his eyes. "Luce, Luce, look at me. Look at me." She reluctantly looked into his chocolate eyes. "Take a deep breath. Okay, take another one. Sue will be fine. She has to be."

Lucy sat down at the counter and opened the bag of food that Jack had brought over. She had been so concerned about Sue that she had forgotten to eat all day. She attacked the chow mein noodles with a fervor, eating half of the carton within minutes. Jack sat down next to her.

"Alright. What's our plan of action?" Jack asked, pulling the other carton over to himself.

"Maybe we could get Tara to use the GPS signal from Sue's phone to find her," Lucy said in between bites.

"We can't do that. Tara is in Florida with her parents for a vacation. She won't be back until Tuesday night. Sue should be back by then anyway."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, sharing in the silence as well as their worry for Sue. Jack forced another bite of food down, nearly choking on the noodles. Every time Sue had vanished, she was at the mercy of someone who was considered dangerous. The thought of Sue being in danger again, made Jack's blood run cold and his heart shudder. He had long ago fallen in love with her, to the point that he would do almost anything to keep her safe and happy. He had put up with her boyfriend, David, even attempting to become friends with him because he knew that he would take care of the deaf woman. Even though Sue hadn't chosen Jack, he was willing to watch from the sidelines just to see her smile.

He thought back to their time undercover as a married couple. They had fit so well together, falling into married life seamlessly. Never had Jack been more comfortable with a woman at his side. Sue had said that she could see him being happy in the suburbs with a wife, a dog, and a couple of kids. Little did she know, that as she had said that, he could almost picture Sue in the white dress and agreeing to be his for time and all eternity.

However, Sue's feelings had always taken precedence. Jack couldn't ask her to leave the job that she loved, just to date him. And he couldn't date her within the team for fear of disciplinary action and the loss of both of their jobs. Sue was his angel, he couldn't let anything ruin her happiness.

Now, he was worried that she would be taken from him. Who knew where she was or what was happening. All he could do was pray that she was okay and that she would soon be back, safe and sound.

"Luce, maybe we could call D. He would know what to do." Lucy looked up from her nearly empty carton. Hope glimmered in her eyes.

"He would know what to do. He could help us find Sue and make sure that she is safe."

Jack pulled out his cell phone and dialed D's number. "Ganz."

"D. It's Jack. Lucy and I think that maybe Sue is missing. She hasn't been home or called all day long, which isn't like her."

On the other side of the phone, D sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "When was the last time that you saw her?"

"I saw her last night around nine and Lucy saw her around eight. Sue left a message late last night."

"What did she say in her message?"

Jack hesitated for a moment. "She said that a friend of hers had an accident and that she was going to help her. She said that she would be back Monday morning. But she hasn't answered her phone all day, and she never called to let Lucy know that she was safe or where she was going."

D sighed. He didn't know if this was Jack's protective streak for Sue showing through or if there was a legitimate problem. "Did she have Levi and her phone on her?"

"Yes. Well, they aren't here at the apartment, so we assume that she has them."

"What about her car? Is it still outside?"

"No, it's gone."

"Is there any other evidence suggesting that Sue is missing besides the fact that she hasn't called?"

"Sue is an incredibly neat person, yet her computer was left on the couch and a dirty bowl in the sink. Sue never does that." Jack's concern was obvious over the phone.

"Both of those could be the result of her hurrying to help her friend. I've seen her drop everything for a friend in need before."

"But what if she was in an accident? She could be hurt."

"Jack, look. Her phone is gone, as is Levi. Her car is gone. She left a message for Lucy that she wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning. The battery might be dead in her phone. If she left in a hurry, she wouldn't have packed any clothes or her charger, just the essentials. Her battery probably died, and she has been too worried about her friend to think to call. Why don't we wait until tomorrow morning, when she said she would be back, before we start worrying about Sue." D hoped that the two friends would wait until the morning to worry about her.

Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "What you're saying makes sense, D. I guess Lucy and I are just overreacting. We'll wait until tomorrow to find Sue. Sorry we bothered you, D."

"It's no problem, Jack. It's understandable that you are concerned for her. But until she misses work tomorrow, I'm going to assume that she is alright and that she will be here tomorrow. Now, I'm going back to sleep. I suggest you do the same."

"Thanks, D. See you in the morning." Jack slowly closed his phone and looked over at Lucy. "He said that we shouldn't worry until tomorrow. Everything adds up to Sue being in a hurry to leave, not that something bad happened to her. If she doesn't come into work, then D said that we will look into the possibility of Sue missing."

"Well, I'm not happy about it, but without the resources of the Bureau, we can't exactly do anything about it tonight." Lucy sighed. "I just wish that we knew more. Like where she was going. She could be anywhere by now."

Jack just nodded. He understood her perfectly. Sue was able to take care of herself, but that didn't stop him from worrying about her or trying to take care of her. He and Lucy braced themselves for a long night of little sleep.


	3. Monday

Monday

6:35 am

Sue woke slowly, trying to figure out where she was. She groaned as she tried to turn her head, but the pounding in her head quickly stopped her from moving any further. _What did I do to myself?_ she wondered as she felt the pain in her stomach and struggled to breathe. Sue had never experienced so much pain before.

Then she realized that her arms and legs were tied to a chair. Memories of the day before came rushing back. Sue began to panic, her fear threatening to take over as she remembered what that awful man had done to her the day before.

She screamed, trying to the attention of anybody nearby who could help her. "Jack, please, I need you! Please! Anybody!" Her cries were cut off by a blow to her stomach that made the chair scoot back a few inches. Sue whimpered in pain, knowing that anything more than that might make the man hit her again.

 _Please God. Let this nightmare end. Let it be all a dream. And if it's not a dream, please let Jack know where to find me._

7:30 am

Jack walked into the bullpen early, eager to start the day and to see Sue. _If she doesn't come in today, then I'm going to assume that something bad happened. Not even D can stop me from looking for her. I am not going to lose her._

The only other people that were already there were Bobby and Lucy, who had ridden over with him. They had spent the night trying to sleep, but both knowing that neither one of them would be getting any rest. Jack proved this as he yawned, big and loud.

"Oi, mate. You're gonna catch flies if you keep yawning like that," Bobby said, grinning at Jack.

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night." Jack stopped by his desk to hang up his coat and attach his ID tag to his shirt. He looked over at his best friend. "Hey, Bobby. Have you seen Sue?"

"Can't say that I have. Why?"

"Sue went to help a friend of hers Saturday night, but we haven't heard from her since. She said that she would be coming in this morning."

"Well, it's still early. She may come in yet." Jack just nodded. Bobby lowered his voice as he sat on the corner of Jack's desk. "Is there another reason that you're so worried about Sue?" He grinned mischievously.

"You know the answer to that question, Crash." Jack sighed and pulled a report closer to him. He needed a distraction right then, and work was the best one.

Over the next hour, the other agents filtered into the bullpen, with the exception of Tara and Sue. Jack tried to focus on his work, but every time somebody walked into the room, he would look up, hope rising in his chest, only to be crushed. It was never Sue that walked in.

D approached Jack and said, "Have you heard anything from Sue?" Jack shook his head. "You know, last night when I told you to get some sleep, it was an order. If Sue is really missing, you need to have a fresh mind."

"I don't think either of us got much sleep last night." Jack looked over at Lucy who was yawning.

Around 8:30 that morning, Jack's computer chimed, indicating that he had a new email. He opened it and found a video message attached to the email that was otherwise empty. He clicked on the video and what he saw caused his stomach to churn.

"Guys, come look at this," he said, his voice cracking a little.

"What's up mate?" Bobby asked as he sauntered over. Once everyone had gathered around his computer, he played the video.

The man came into focus, the mask covering his mouth and nose.

"Hello Jack. As you can see, I have something very precious to you." He indicated Sue who was tied to a chair, her hair and clothes rumpled and bruises covering her skin. "Maybe you should have taken better care of your little sweetheart, or I wouldn't be making this video. You know, Sue was willing to break the rules to go and tell you about me. But you were with another woman. Such heartbreak on her face. I just had to do something. If you want her back, you're going to have to prove that you love her. You'll have to find me, and that is something nobody has ever done before."

Jack saw Sue as she began to stir in the background while the kidnapper had been talking. He watched as she tried to move her head, heard her slight gasp of pain at the movement. He watched as she realized where she was and started to struggle. "Jack, please, I need you! Please! Anybody!" Sue cried out. He winced as the man turned and punched her in the stomach, the force pushing her chair back. Jack curled his hand into a fist, desperately trying to calm the rage within him.

The kidnapper turned back to the camera. "I will love her better than you did. I will make sure that she never has to see you again." He spat on the ground. "You would have never been able to love her like I will. Say good-bye Jack. For now."

The video stopped and silence filled the room. Horror was evident on each of his teammates' faces. Bobby was the first to break the silence. "How dare he?! That drongo beat our Sue! He will pay for this!" Lucy broke into a sob, the tears already streaming down her face.

"Don't worry, Luce. We'll find her. We have to," D said as he pulled her into a hug.

Jack slowly stood up, feeling like he had aged twenty years in just a few minutes. "Alright, we need to get on this right away. Myles, you see if Metro PD has had any reports of someone kidnapped. Bobby, D, go out and contact as many people as you know. If someone saw Sue at any time since Saturday night, I want to know about it. Lucy, you and I will go talk to Troy and Charlie. We also need to let Sue's parents know about what has been happening." Without a word, the team pulled on their coats and practically ran out the door.

Jack rubbed his hand across his face before he, too, grabbed his coat.

9:00 am

As Jack and Lucy were walking up to the garage, Lucy pulled on Jack's arm. "That's Sue's car that Troy is working on!" She sped up and nearly walked into Charlie who was just coming around the corner.

"Oh, Lucy. This is a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?" He looked past Lucy and saw Jack. "Hey, Jack. How have you been?" Jack walked up to the pair.

He waved to get Troy's attention. "We found out this morning that Sue has been kidnapped," Jack said as he signed to Troy. "We thought that she had gone to help a friend who had an accident, but this morning, we received a video from the kidnapper."

"That's awful! Who would do that to Sue?" Charlie said.

 **How can we help?** Troy signed.

"Uhh, we were wondering, actually, when you got Sue's car. We thought that she had taken it with her."

"Well, let's see now. I think it was Saturday evening, around 6:00. She said that she needed her engine checked out, so I agreed to keep her car here and look it over."

"I was in the shower, to get ready for the Gala I went to. Sue must have left then and I didn't realize it," Lucy said, looking to Jack.

"Well, now we know where her car is. Charlie, Troy, let us know if you hear from her or if anyone has any information. Come on, Luce. Let's head back to the office," Jack said as he took Lucy by the elbow. They got into the car and prayed that there would be new leads for them.

2:00 pm

Jack banged his fists against his desk, barely keeping himself from yelling. They had found nothing. Nobody had seen her, nobody knew where she went, nobody had heard of even a whisper of the kidnapping. Jack knew that his team was doing their best to find Sue, because any other option was unthinkable.

 _I can't lose Sue. I can't. Please, God, give me a clue, anything to help me find her. We need her back. I need her back._

"Hey, Jack! You're gonna want to hear this mate." Jack's prayer was interrupted by Bobby coming in with Howie, Sue's informant and friend. And just behind him, on a leash, was none other than Levi. "Levi? Howie, why do you have Levi?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Well, I was meeting up with a buddy of mine in this alleyway, you see. And I'm showing him these powerful flashlights that I got last week. All of a sudden, I hear this high pitched sound. And I turn to my friend and I say, 'Do you hear that?' And he says, 'Yeah, it sounds like a dog whining.'"

Jack interrupts Howie. "Howie, get to the point."

"Okay, okay. So we start following this noise and we realize that it was coming from this old dumpster in the alley. Now I'm thinking that this dumpster hasn't been used in ages. So I look in and see this dog. We decide to get him out, and I'm looking at this dog and I think, hey this looks like Levi. And sure enough, it is.

"Jack, I think Sue's in trouble. Levi had a dart of some kind in his side, like he was drugged or something."

Jack closed his eyes for a second and offered a brief prayer in gratitude for the clue. "Howie, we weren't able to get ahold of you earlier today. Sue was kidnapped Saturday night and we haven't been able to find out anything. You may have just given us our first lead. Thank you."

Howie stared at Jack in horror. "How could anyone hurt our Sue? She's the nicest person I know."

Lucy came and took the leash from Howie. "I'll take care of him. Thank you Howie." She squeezed his shoulder and gave him a watery smile.

"You're welcome. And hey, I'll put the word out on the street. Anything that I can do to help find Sue, you guys let me know."

"Howie, where was the alley that you found Levi. It may have been where the kidnapper took Sue. We haven't been able to find anything." Howie gave them the address and description of the dumpster. He then left to go talk to his people for any word about Sue's whereabouts.

"Well, I never thought I would say this, but I am actually glad to see Howie," Myles said in the ensuing silence. "If only because he can help find Miss Thomas."

"That's five minutes away from my apartment," Jack said quietly. "He took her five minutes after I saw her last." Anger spread through his body. This man was going to pay when they found him. And they would find him, Jack was sure of it.

Jack turned and looked at his teammates, his anger showing in his eyes. "Bobby, D, Myles, I want you to go to that alleyway with the crime scene technicians and see if you can get anything that would indicate Sue was there. It is possible the kidnapper dumped Levi there after taking Sue. Lucy, call Tara. We need her here as soon as possible. And go home and bring Sue's computer. We'll have the lab guys start looking at it until Tara can come." Jack directed his teammates. "Oh, and Lucy, maybe you should take Levi to the vet. He's not looking too well." He rubbed his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself in order to think clearly.

He looked around the office, trying to avoid the sight of Sue's desk next to his, but his eyes seemed to be drawn there. He walked over and sat down in her chair, looking at the picture of the team she had on the corner. The picture was taken the day Sue was supposed to leave for her new job in New York, but had decided to stay. Lucy had organized a celebratory party, even inviting Amanda Duffman, the teenage deaf girl, to come. That picture had captured that moment perfectly, and Sue kept it on her desk to remind everyone of the family that they had become.

"Don't worry Sue. I will find you, no matter what."

9:00 pm

Blinding light stabbed into Sue's eyes as the blindfold was removed for the first time since the night she was kidnapped. Her hands were untied and a bowl thrust into them. Once her eyes had adjusted, she looked at the man in front of her. "Eat, you must be starving," he said.

She turned her eyes to the bowl and found what looked like twinkies that were soaked in milk. She hesitantly raised the bowl to her lips, and began to drink. She hadn't eaten anything since the bowl of rocky road in her apartment, and her stomach growled in anticipation. Even soggy twinkies sounded good.

Due to starvation and lack of water, Sue had grown very weak over the last few days. This had caused her kidnapper to be able to overpower her more easily and her injuries weren't healing. She was sure she has at least one broken rib, if not more, making it difficult to breathe. Over the course of the day, she had come to realize that sounds, particularly speaking, resulted in a beating. But what came after the beating was far more horrible, in Sue's opinion. She was completely powerless against him and it terrified her.

She drained the bowl, swallowing the last little bit of mush at the bottom and slowly setting it down. His back was turned to her, so she took the opportunity to look around the room that she was in. It was a comfortable room, with a couch and several plush arm chairs. The drapes were closed and the fireplace on the far wall was dark and empty. The house had a lived in feel to it, like it was someone's home. The room was different than the one that she had been in the first time the man had taken off the blindfold. He must have moved her when she had been unconscious.

 _I need to remember every detail of this place, and especially what he looks like._ There was no doubt in her mind that as soon as Jack found her, she would make sure that he knew about everything. The man was too evil to not tell Jack.

The man turned to face Sue, noticing that she was finished with her meager meal. He approached her and pulled an armchair up next to her. Sue shrunk away from him, bracing herself for another beating. However, no beating came. Instead, he handed her a tall glass of cool water.

"I'm Gabriel Grant. I've been watching you for a long time, Sue, and you really impressed me. You must be thirsty. Go ahead, it's safe to drink."

Sue cautiously lifted the glass to her lips and slowly drank, even though she wanted to gulp it down as quickly as possible. She kept an eye on Gabriel's lips as she drank so she wouldn't miss it if he said anything.

"You are very smart. Most people would drink the water too fast and end up vomiting. I knew that you would be the special one." Gabriel leaned in closer and stroked her cheek, his hand gentle. Sue had to force herself to not shy away, not wanting another beating. "All the other girls just weren't special enough, like you. You're different, you're stronger than the others."

Sue watched his lips in horror. _This man has hurt other women like me before. If they weren't enough, then I will eventually be just like them. Jack, I need you!_

Gabriel began talking again. "You know, you should thank me. Your boyfriend was awful, cheating on you with another woman. I saved you from a relationship that would have only ended in pain. It's rather difficult to recover from that kind of shock, so I understand if you don't warm up to me right away. But I will love you more than he ever would. Poor little Sue."

 _Gabriel must be insane or suffering from a mental disorder. One minute, he is likely to beat me or worse. The next, he's talking about loving me and is kind to me._ Somehow, this thought did not comfort Sue at all.

"You should try to get some rest. I have big plans for this evening. I'll have to tie you up again, though. Can't have my best girl leaving me, now could I?" Gabriel said as he took the bowl and glass from Sue's hands. Her world became dark and silent again.

10:30 pm

Jack was watching the video over and over, desperately trying to glean something, anything, from the background. Myles and D were taking their turn to sleep on the Bureau cots that were set up in one of the conference rooms. Lucy was gathering the papers that were coming off the fax machine, while Bobby was out meeting with one of his informants.

Even after the twentieth time he had watched the video message, nothing new was jumping out at him. He sighed in frustration, willing the exhaustion away. He hadn't slept the night before, and it looked like he wasn't going to get any sleep until Sue was safe.

Finally tearing his eyes away from the computer screen, Jack looked at Lucy. "Hey, Luce, do you know when Tara is getting here?"

"Her plane arrives at one o'clock this morning. I'm planning on picking her up."

"You should go get some rest then; you've had as little sleep as I have. It's not safe to drive with no sleep."

Lucy nodded. "I think you're right." She walked over and dropped the papers she had been holding on his desk. "Forensic reports from the alley. I'm going to bed. Wake me up in a few hours." She staggered off to go find a place to curl up.

Jack started looking through the reports, searching for any sign that Sue had been there. There were tire tracks on the ground as well as a few long blonde hairs. But without the roots for the hair, no positive DNA could be found. Those hairs could belong to any blonde in the DC area. There were also two fingerprints on the wall, but were too smudged. Jack tossed the papers on his desk, too frustrated to read anymore. He stood up and began to pace.

"Jack! Why didn't you answer your cell phone? I've called you over a dozen times. I was worried sick." Jack turned to look at the doorway and found an angry Allie standing there. "Dinner was two and a half hours ago and you didn't even call."

"I'm sorry, Allie. I've been working a kidnapping case. Sue was kidnapped Saturday night after she left my apartment." Jack's voice carried his exhaustion and frustration in it.

"Oh, no. That's awful." Allie's features softened from anger to concern. "Have you been able to find anything?"

"Not really. The two leads we have are turning out to be worthless. We know she was alive when the kidnapper sent me a video message this morning. And we have a possible place where she was kidnapped. But both have turned up empty so far. I'm scared that he killed her, Allie."

Allie came over and sat down on Jack's desk and motioned for him to come sit next to her. He did, and he seemed to slump against her. They were both quiet for a minute. "You care about her a lot, don't you?"

Jack looked at her in surprise. "Of course! She's my partner and one of my closest friends. Of course I care about her."

"But it's something more, I think. Tell me, as old friends, do you love her?" Allie asked. Jack opened his mouth in surprise, not entirely sure what to say. "It's okay. I already know the answer. I've known for quite some time, actually."

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry, Allie. I just found myself falling in love with her. I'm not even sure how it happened."

"No one ever does," Allie cut in quickly. "And for the record, I think the two of you make a very sweet couple." They both went silent again.

Allie broke the silence again. "I've known for awhile that you and I were meant to be good friends for our entire lives. And I will always be your friend, Jackson. But, I don't think that we should date anymore or ever. It hurts Sue and that in turn hurts you. I'll stay in DC until you find her, then I'll be moving back to New York."

"Allie, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be. We are both choosing the best paths for us. Mine is in New York. Yours is with a beautiful deaf woman and a charming dog. I'm not mad, Jack. I'm glad that you finally figured your feelings out."

Allie stood up and gathered up her purse that had fallen on the ground. "I'm going back to my hotel to get some sleep. Find her, Jackson."

"I will."

Allie turned and walked out of the bullpen. Seconds later, Bobby came in followed by a man in an apron. "Hey Jack, I just saw Allie out in the hall. Is everything okay mate?"

"Yeah, of course. Now what have you got?"

"A witness. This is Ricardo Gomez and he says that he watched a blonde woman and a dog be grabbed and pulled into an alley. He followed and saw the whole thing."

"I own a restaurant across the street from the alley. Business was slow, so I stood outside. I was watching people pass by and I noticed one woman was walking very slowly, looking around."

Jack interrupted Ricardo's narrative. "Did she seem scared?"

"No, she was looking at the sky and the lights. She was enjoying life, as I like to call it. Really seeing things and seeing their beauty. That's what made me notice her. As she passed the alley, a man came and dragged her into the dark. I followed immediately. I know that there are bad men and if he was going to kill her I wanted to be able to do something.

"When I get there, I see her dog lying on its side and the woman being shoved into a car. She was blindfolded and tied up."

"What kind of car was it?" Jack said through the bile in his throat. Sue was already deaf. Without her eyes or Levi, she was completely at the man's mercy.

"It was a silver color, smaller with four doors. I couldn't give you the type. I don't know cars very well."

"Okay, what happened next?"

"The man closed the door and then picked up the dog and threw him into the dumpster. He got into the car and started to back down the alley away from me. But then he saw me watching and started coming at me. He aimed a gun at me out of his window, so I ran and hid. I looked out as he passed in time to catch the license plate numbers."

"You got the license plate?"

"Yes. It was 425AF2."

Jack wrote it down and handed it to Bobby. "Go wake up D. We need more people on this," Jack said. He turned back to Ricardo. "Did you get a good look at the kidnapper's face?"

"Yes."

"Would you be willing to work with a sketch artist?" Ricardo again agreed. "Alright. I'll take you down there myself in just a minute. I need to bring the other agent up to speed."

While they waited for Bobby to get back with D, Jack showed him pictures of Sue to verify identity. He also showed Ricardo a still they had pulled from the video of the kidnapper.

"His face is covered, but his eyes are right. They were evil."

"Ricardo, why did it take you so long to tell anybody about the kidnapping?"

The man shuffled his feet. "Well, at first, I didn't know who to tell. I didn't know the woman and I am very new in this country. Besides. My son's VISA expired a week ago. He's trying to get it renewed, but I didn't want him to be deported. When I heard that the FBI was looking for a blonde woman with a dog, I couldn't stay quiet anymore."

Jack looked at the man. "I will personally help your son not only renew his VISA, but gain citizenship. Her name is Sue Thomas and she is a member of our team. You have given us the biggest break yet."

The old man nodded, tears in his eyes. "Thank you, signor"

Jack held up a hand. "No. Thank you."

Bobby walked in just then, with a sleepy D following behind him. "What do you have Jack?" D asked.

I need you to get all the security footage and traffic cameras for this area. We have a car to find. Bobby, work the other end. License plate, who it's registered to, and where they live. I'm going to take our witness down to the sketch artist." Jack turned and accompanied Mr. Gomez out of the bullpen.


	4. Tuesday (part 1)

**Thanks everyone for reading and thanks especially for the reviews. I've decided to split up this day into two parts since I have big plans for our characters. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, I know that I have enjoyed writing it.**

 **I've been debating whether to extend the kidnapping into a second week or resolve it in one week. Let me know what you guys think in your comments. I also want to write a series of one-shots based on our favorite characters but I don't have any good ideas. So if you do, please send them my way. Thanks to everyone who is reading this story.**

Tuesday

1:30 am

Tara finally walked into the bullpen with Lucy behind her. "Any word on Sue?" she asked. Jack told her everything from the message left on their answering machine to the latest information from the eyewitness. "We've pulled phone records to try to find out where Sue was calling from, but that was a dead end. We've done our best to isolate various images and sounds from the video and I have a feeling that you'll do a lot better than us. The alleyway that Howie gave has been confirmed that that was the location where Sue was kidnapped. However, we didn't find very much physical evidence. We are currently running the license plate through our database and going through security footage to try to follow the car. We need you to run a face through facial recognition."

"I'll get right on it. Oh, and where's Sue's computer?" Jack and Lucy looked at Tara. "Well, the kidnapper may have contacted her about a certain time or place to meet him. We need to rule out the possibility. Also her blackberry."

"Well, we don't have Sue's blackberry. We assumed she took it with her. But I can get her computer from the lab guys. They haven't started on it yet," Lucy said, looking at Jack.

"If Sue had her blackberry on her, we could trace the GPS signal and find out where she is. That is, if she still has it on her," Tara said, powering up her computer. "I'll start running a trace on her blackberry. You guys should probably get some sleep."

Jack inwardly berated himself. _Why didn't I think about the GPS tracker on Sue's phone? If I hadn't been so stupid, she could be home safe by now. What's wrong with you? You need to get your head back on your shoulders. You're not doing Sue any good by not thinking through the problem._ Jack turned to Lucy. "You should go get some sleep. Hopefully, by morning, Sue will be home."

D was sitting at his desk looking at the security footage, trying to follow the silver car that Ricardo Gomez had described. Jack went to check on his progress, but was turned down and told to go sleep. Rather than face the nightmares that came every time Sue was missing, Jack went to his own desk. He picked up the transcript of the video and looked at the kidnapper's words.

Each word had obviously been chosen with care, probably rehearsed multiple times before he got it just right. Jack closed his eyes and pictured the video in his mind, hearing the words that the kidnapper spoke. He went over every detail in his mind, every inflection, every word. He had seen the video so many times, he could replay it on his mind exactly.

He had held still for so long with his eyes closed, that everyone else in the bullpen assumed that he was sleeping. Everyone was working as quietly as the could so that they wouldn't wake Jack, knowing that he hadn't slept the night before and was exhausted.

' _You'll have to find me, and that is something nobody has done before.'_ That phrase haunted Jack. It seemed as though this wasn't his first kidnapping which means he might possibly be in the database for past crimes. Jack opened his eyes and looked around the room. "Tara, have you run the facial recognition on the sketch yet?" he asked, startling her.

"What? Oh, no not yet."

"Make sure you cross reference it with anybody with a history of violent crimes or has been suspect in a kidnapping before. Search the databases for anything similar to this kidnapping, Sue's height, age, description, the way he took her, anything with previous kidnappings. I think we have a serial kidnapper on our hands. Maybe even a killer." Tara nodded in response then went back to typing on her keyboard.

Jack looked at the whiteboard they had put together of the kidnapping, focusing on Sue's picture. There were too many questions that didn't have answers, too many possibilities of where she might be.

Tara leapt up and clapped her hands. "The GPS tracker finally came through. We have a location on Sue's blackberry about two hours away from here."

"Great job, Tara. If that signal disappears, you let me know. D, Myles suit up. Let's go get Sue back."

D immediately got up, reaching for his coat, but Myles was still on the phone with someone. He looked grim as he turned his eyes to Jack. "Jack, it's him. The kidnapper."

1:30 am

Gabriel looked over at the deaf woman that he had kidnapped and again considered what he was about to do. He had to break the agent's spirit in order for his plan to work. Sue was already broken. He had watched as she would struggle away from him every time he came near her, fear causing her to tremble. But the other agent, this Jack Hudson, had to be destroyed.

His plan for revenge was coming along perfectly, he just had a few more preparations. Gabriel carefully wiped all evidence of his presence from the kitchen then moved on to the bathroom and bedroom. The house had belonged to a wealthy couple who were on vacation in the Mediterranean. Gabriel would be sad to leave this house; the owner loved comfort and sophistication. When he was finished with his task, he looked at his watch and was shocked to see that it was after 2:30 in the morning. It was time for the next part of his plan.

Sue was sitting still in the chair, when he came back into the living room. He went to her and stood in front of the chair that she was tied to. She wasn't flinching away from him, which meant that she had fallen asleep again. Seeing her so relaxed and oblivious to Gabriel's presence made a spark of rage flare up inside of him. He lashed out and kicked the chair over, causing the occupant to hit the floor with a sickening crack. She cried out in pain, then quickly muffled any sounds. Sue had been careful not to say anything in front of him. She was too quiet. The others had screamed and begged him to let them go or asked him why he was doing this. They deserved their fate.

Gabriel knelt down next to the deaf woman and took her blindfold off. Her big eyes stared back at him, terrified and full of desperation. The rage built up in him. She had destroyed his life, her more than any of the others. But he held his rage back. He couldn't get rid of her yet, he needed the other agent first. He needed them both for his revenge to be complete.

He kept his voice soft. "It's time for our big plans. Are you ready sweetheart?"

Sue looked at him and spoke softly for the first time. "Am I going to die?"

The question caught Gabriel off guard. He had expected accusations when she finally spoke, not this quiet acceptance. He considered her question for a moment. _Should I kill her tonight?_ But he quickly shook that thought off. His plan needed her still alive for now. "I need you to talk to your boyfriend. You may not see him again." It was good to keep her thinking that she would die, maybe she would be able to break the agent for him.

Gabriel quickly untied her arms and legs from the chair and pulled her up. The fall looked like it had broken her left forearm and a goose egg was already forming on her head. The women gingerly touched her head and kept her left arm crossed in front of her body. She knew that it was broken, she knew that she was hurt, and did everything she could to prevent further injury to herself.

But Gabriel wasn't so considerate. He put on surgical gloves and picked up the drinking glass and kitchen knife he had brought from the kitchen. He took Sue's left hand and held it down. She struggled against him, trying to pull her arm away. She cried out in pain as he twisted her already broken arm and he sliced the knife against her palm, drawing blood. He took the blood and smeared it on her fingers, then forced her to grab the glass. It would be a good clue for the agent, maybe make them worry some more.

He took the glass into the kitchen and set it on the counter with the knife next to it. _Well, Jack, I hope you enjoy this little surprise that I have for you. Maybe I can break your mind before this is all over._

He heard Sue move around in the front room and moved to the doorway. The woman was picking up the chair that he had knocked over in his rage and was also binding her broken arm. Murderous rage filled him at the sight of the deaf woman. _So close. I am so close to achieving my goal. I can't let a fit of passion deny me the revenge that I deserve._ Gabriel turned back into the kitchen to finish his preparations for the next step. He had to stay away from Sue if he wanted to complete his plan and he was, if nothing else, a patient man.

3:15 am

Sue watched for Gabriel to come back into the front room. He had been occupied in the kitchen for the past ten minutes and she took advantage of the time that she was not tied up or blindfolded. Using the cut that her captor just made, she began to write a little message for Jack on the underside of the chair she had been tied to. **Gabriel Grant. Serial Killer.** Jack would know that the message was from Sue and he would know to check for past crimes similar to her own kidnapping.

She had just finished writing the message when Gabriel came back into the front room. He had a cell phone in his hand and a smile on his face.

"We are going to leave a little clue for your boyfriend. And I'm sure he is just _dying_ to hear from you after all this time." He dialed a number on the phone and held it up for Sue to see. It was the number to Jack's desk phone at the FBI.

"Hello, I understand you are looking for me. I have a message for Jack Hudson about his lovely deaf girlfriend and I know that you are not him. So you will put him on the phone or I will send him a finger."

Sue gulped as she read the words on his lips. He really was a sick and twisted man. Gabriel fell silent for a moment, apparently listening to what was going on on the other end of the phone.

"You know that it's me. You have no doubt listened to that video I sent you dozens of times so you could recognize my voice. But it's not me you want to hear. Your girlfriend is eagerly waiting for the chance to speak to you." He held out the phone to her, but covered one end so Jack couldn't hear what he was going to say to her.

"Say your last goodbye to him."

Sue extended her shaking hand and took the phone. "Jack, I'm okay. A little beat up but still fighting. Tell Simon that he'll always have a _seat_ at the office. Take care of Lucy for me and tell my family that I love them. Be safe Jack." Gabriel took the phone from her and shoved her onto the sofa.

He turned from her and so she couldn't see what else he said to Jack. A few minutes passed before he turned back, the phone closed in his hand. He took the blindfold and rope and took her hands roughly to tie them in front of her. Gabriel then blindfolded her and led Sue out of the door and outside. She could smell the sharp scent of gasoline and assumed that she was in the garage that was attached to the house. She was shoved roughly into the trunk of the car and the monotony of another car ride began.

3:25 am

"...Be safe Jack." Jack was relieved to hear her voice after so long of not being able to see her. He just wished he had a way to communicate with her.

"Well, Jack, I hope you enjoyed your last conversation with her. This girl is now forever mine. Good luck finding us." The line clicked as the kidnapper hung up the phone.

Myles immediately stood up and waved a paper in the air. "I've got the address of the place where he called from and a warrant from the judge. SWAT is on its way over there right now."

Jack grabbed his bulletproof vest and followed Bobby and Myles towards the door of the bullpen. "Tara, keep looking for a match for the sketch and look at Sue's computer. We need all the information on this guy that we can get. Also send some agents to that address where her blackberry was last on." He left, desperate to find the woman that he loved.

The car ride to the house that was on the outskirts of Washington DC was uneventful but stressful. Each member of their team understood exactly what was at stake should this operation fail. Jack glanced at Bobby. Both men were silent and Bobby's mouth was drawn down into a frown. He seemed to be bracing himself for the sight that was sure to greet them.

As soon as the car came to a relative stop, Jack, Bobby, and D were out and running towards the SWAT command center. Myles joined them after throwing the car into park. They were given the chance to join in the initial entry of the building and none of them declined. The operation was precise and everything went according to plan. Except for one thing.

"Sue's not here. There is a chair and some rope and blood in the front room, but nobody's home," Bobby's voice came over the comms. Jack bit back a curse. He followed his friend into the front room after clearing the rest of the rooms in the house.

The room was the same one that was shown in the video from the kidnapper yesterday. The chair was upright with some rope wound around the legs as if Sue was bound. There were streaks of blood on the arms of the chair and red drops on the floor. Jack felt sick as he looked over the scene. _She must be hurt and scared. She doesn't have Levi with her and in the video she was blindfolded. Please, God, let us find her in time. Protect her from this evil man. Give me thy wisdom so that I may know where to find her._

Jack stepped out of the house and removed the latex gloves he had worn in order to protect any evidence from contamination. He pulled out his phone and dialed Tara's number.

"Jack, did you find her?"

"No, she wasn't here, but it looks like she was not too long ago. I need you to send out the crime scene technicians to the address on my desk. And call Lucy and update her. She needs to call Sue's parents and let them know what is happening."

"Jack, the I got a match on facial recognition from the sketch. His name is apparently Gabriel Grant. He was arrested three years ago for public intoxication, but has been clean ever since. Other than that, he has no criminal record; he's an upstanding citizen."

"Thanks, Tara. Get his name and picture out to every law enforcement agency in the area. Let me know when you have the information on the car and the license plate. And when the other agents get to Sue's blackberry."

"Alright, I'll keep you posted."

Jack blew out a breath and hung up the phone. _Sue where are you? I need you to give me a clue._

 **Again, please let me know how long Sue should be held captive. And also let me know if you have any ideas for a series of one-shots. Thanks everyone.**


	5. Tuesday (part 2)

5:30 am

Jack rubbed a hand over his face, desperately trying to clear his eyes. He had been awake since Sunday morning before Lucy had called him to tell him about Sue. Exhaustion had seeped into every part of him. The house where the call had been placed earlier that morning had turned into a crime scene and was buzzing with people. Neighbors were being interviewed, technicians were running around with cameras and paper bags for evidence, and one junior officer was keeping coffee cups full. The forensics team was almost done with the master bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen and were about halfway done with the front room.

Bobby approached Jack and offered him a fresh cup of coffee. "You should probably get some sleep, mate. You look like you're one of the walking dead." Jack stubbornly shook his head. "You won't do her any good if you kill yourself before you find her. You haven't slept since Saturday night and I don't think you've remembered to take your heart medication. Sue wouldn't want you to run yourself down like this."

"Every time I close my eyes, the nightmares come. I'm too scared to sleep because even in dreams, I can't bear to lose her," Jack said quietly. Bobby didn't say anything in response, he didn't need to. He understood just how much his best friend loved Sue.

Jack welcomed the company and the silence, but it was short-lived. His cell phone rang. "Hudson."

"Jack, it's Tara. I finally got an update from the other team of agents. Sue's blackberry was thrown into a dumpster in a small town about two hours away from here. They've checked it for prints or any evidence, including recent calls, and they didn't find anything. It was completely wiped. They are going to bring it in to me to see if I can get any information from the hard drive."

"That's good to know. Thanks, Tara. Any other news?"

"I have some information that D requested last night that is waiting on his desk. Nothing from the other departments or local police on Gabriel Grant. But I am close to cracking Sue's firewall on her computer. We might be able to find something else out about this guy. Like why he kidnapped Sue in the first place."

"Great. We're almost done here, so I think I'll just head back to the office in a little while."

"One more thing that I wanted to run by you, Jack. I was listening to the recording of the phone call and I noticed something strange. Sue said, 'Tell Simon that he'll always have a seat at the office.' The only Simon that we know is that one serial killer that challenged Sue and almost killed her. And she also emphasized the word seat like it meant something. Just a thought I had that you should check out while you're at the house."

"Thanks, Tara. I think you're right. I'll take a look at the chair that she was tied to and see if there is anything specific." He finished the phone call and then turned to his friends that were next to him. "D, Tara said that the information you requested is sitting on your desk. Nothing really big, but Tara did say that Sue seemed to be sending us a message in the phone call. We're almost done here, so why don't you guys go get some sleep for a few hours and then we can start looking at the information again."

Myles nodded as he tried to stifle a yawn. He and D got into one of the cars and drove off, both eager to get some sleep. Bobby however, stayed next to Jack. "I'm not going anywhere until you leave. And you need more sleep than any of us."

"Fine, I'll go back to the office and try to get some rest. But first, I want to look at the chair in the front room. Sue is smart. She probably tried to leave us a clue or a message."

The two men walked into the house and found the chair. They put latex gloves on and carefully approached so as not to disturb any evidence for the technicians. Jack carefully studied the seat and the chair, looking for any clue. There was nothing. Finally, Bobby tilted it so Jack could look on the bottom. There, in dark writing that was obviously blood, was a message. **Gabriel Grant. Serial Killer.**

6:00 am

Sue was now sitting on a different chair in a different house. Gabriel had driven them around for about an hour with Sue squished uncomfortably in the trunk of his car before finally pulling her out. The blindfold was still in place, forcing her captor to lead her up some stairs and into the house. Now, she was sitting, waiting for any new terrors that he might inflict on her.

 _I wonder if Jack got my clue about Simon or if they were able to trace the phone call. I hope that he will find me soon. I don't know how much more of this I can handle._ Sue's broken arm was twisted awkwardly and painfully behind her and tied to the spindly kitchen chair that Gabriel must have found. Her ribs ached, and breathing had become a constant battle.

Gabriel had already inflicted new bruises all over her body, and Sue was tempted to slip into the peaceful oblivion that unconsciousness provided. But, that would leave her vulnerable to his other attacks, and she was determined to fight him with everything she had.

Sue thought back on the past few years of her life. She had made so many friends that accepted her for who she was and had been extremely blessed. Jack, Lucy, Charlie, and Levi. They all had made a difference in her life, and now, Sue realized that she might not be able to see them again. She had watched her beloved dog get shot right in front of her and that just about broke her heart. But she had several friendships that she considered to be priceless and a man that she loved with all of her heart. _My life has been a blessing. If you want to take me home, God, I'm okay with that._

12:00 pm

Lucy looked around the office. Myles was busy on the phone trying to get in touch with one of his informants. Bobby was at the white board, making notes on a flowchart of the whole case. And D was rifling through some papers on his desk, every once in a while writing down some notes.

Levi was sitting at Sue's desk, with a sad look in his eyes. He had been looking so dejected that morning and Lucy didn't have the heart to leave him alone in their apartment. The vet she had taken him to had said that Levi had had a mild dose of sedatives injected into him and that he would be fine.

The phone on her desk began to ring, startling her out of her thoughts. Lucy immediately picked it up and listened to the person on the other end. After a minute, she hung up. "Tara, where's Jack?"

Bobby answered instead of Tara. "I think he is in the conference room getting some sleep. At least, he better be."

"Security just called and said that there is a lady here to see us about Gabriel Grant. She said that she has some vital information that could help us find him."

Tara immediately stood up. "I'll go get Jack. He'll want to hear this." She left the room and Lucy also headed out to meet security at the elevator.

The lady that was accompanied by the security guard was petite and blonde with blue eyes. She was a pretty lady, though her eyes seemed to convey a knowledge of the evil of the world. Eyes very much like the ones that worked at the FBI. Lucy walked up to her and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Lucy Dotson. I understand you have information about our case."

"Yes, I do. Is it okay if we go someplace more private. I don't want the whole world knowing what I need to tell you."

Lucy nodded and led the woman to an interviewing room not far from the bullpen. Jack came in immediately after them, still looking a little bleary from his nap. He shut the door behind him and turned on the recorder on the table. He made the opening statements and then proceeded to ask the woman what information she had on Gabriel Grant.

She began to speak. "My name is Connie Grant, but am currently known as Bailey Thomas. Ten years ago, I married Gabriel Grant. We were young and in love and things seemed to be wonderful. But two years into our marriage, he began to get possessive. He would restrict my movements from our home and give me only a limited amount of money to buy groceries. He became particularly jealous of anybody I talked to. He would get drunk and would come home and rape me. He would beat me to the brink of consciousness at times. I tried to tell somebody, but he was friends with the police department and convinced them that I had a mental disorder. Nothing seemed to be able to calm him during his rages.

"Finally, I had enough. If I just ran away, he would come after me and would most likely kill me. So I decided to fake a kidnapping. I know it was probably unethical and wrong, but I didn't know what else to do to escape. I sent him a ransom note for thirty thousand dollars, which was a majority of the money in my personal savings account. He paid the ransom using my money, just as I thought he would.

"I contacted the U.S. Marshalls and they were able to set up a new identity for me here in DC as an emergency dispatcher. That was six years ago. I don't know what he had been doing since I left him, but I do know that he is very violent."

Once she finished speaking, the room was quiet for a few minutes. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that experience and thank you for being willing to share this information with us. Do you know if he has any acquaintances or residences in this area that he might go to?" Jack asked her.

"I'm not sure. It's been six years since I last saw him, so he might have moved here and bought a house. I do know that he was part of a fraternity here in DC when he was about twenty-four. He may have kept in touch with some of his brothers."

"Do you know the name of the fraternity he was a part of?" Jack asked.

"I think it was Alpha Phi or something like that. I do know that they had a reunion every two years here in DC, so it would make sense that they kept records of their frat brothers."

Lucy piped in now, "Did you know any of his frat brothers personally?"

Bailey shook her head. "No, I never met any of them, but he always mentioned a Lawrence Frayser as his roommate. You could try to find him and ask him."

"Is there anything else you can think of that would help us?" said Jack.

"No, I don't think so. But you better find that poor woman soon. Gabriel is a dangerous man. He is unstable. One minute he can be very loving, the next he could be beating you senseless. Find him soon."

They concluded the interview, and Lucy offered to escort Bailey out of the FBI. Visitors had been known to get lost on the way out.

"That woman who is missing, Sue Thomas, she is a close friend of yours, isn't she?" Bailey said.

Lucy nodded. "She is my best friend and my roommate. And Jack has been in love with her for several years. She has changed the lives of everyone that she has met. We need her back."

"I've been praying for her. I'll add your team to my prayers that you will be able to find her."

Lucy was touched by the kindness this woman offered them. She hadn't needed to bring up painful memories to give them information, and she certainly didn't need to pray for them. "Thank you so much. That is very kind of you."

By this time, they had reached the front doors of the FBI and it was time for them to part. Lucy instinctively reached over and gave Bailey a hug. They smiled at each other, and then Bailey left.

1:00 pm

Jack walked into the bullpen with a new purpose in his step. "Myles, I need you to drop whatever you're doing and find the records for the Alpha Phi fraternity. Look for the names Gabriel Grant or Lawrence Frayser. I need a list of everyone who was in the fraternity at the same time as either one of them.

"Bobby, I need you to find out what Grant has been doing with his life for the last six years. Who he associated with, where he lived, where he worked. I want to know whether he paid his bills on time.

"D, keep working on tracing the car that Mr. Gomez described. Check in the area around the house that Sue was kept at, see if you can track it.

"Tara, I want you and Lucy, when she gets back, to find the owners of that house. See if they have ever had any contact with Grant and who he might possibly contact. We have a chance to save her."

 _Thank you Lord, for this much needed break. And thank you for the sleep that I was able to get earlier. It has refreshed my mind and allowed me to find information that will help Sue._

"Jack!" Tara's voice broke into his thoughts. He turned to look at her. "I just broke through the last of the security walls on Sue's computer. And I found something that I think you should see."

Jack walked over to her desk and looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. There were over two dozen emails from an anonymous email address sent to Sue over the last four weeks. Tara clicked on the first one that had been sent.

 **Hello Sue. I've been watching you for awhile now, and you definitely have my attention. I understand that you are one of the best FBI agents around. We'll see about that. I know what you're thinking. That you'll run off and tell your boyfriend at the Bureau or your pretty roommate. But I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you tell anyone, I will kill Lucy and I will make sure that everyone knows it was your fault. There is nowhere you can hide from me. I look forward to meeting you in person.**

Jack stared at the screen in horror. Then he noticed the little icon in the corner. "He's attached a picture." Tara clicked on it and the photo popped up. It was of Lucy, Sue, and Levi sitting on the couch in their apartment obviously enjoying each other's company. Levi had some ice cream on his nose, as if he had mooched some off of his owner.

"Why do you guys have that picture? Actually, how on earth did you manage to take that picture?" Lucy's incredulous voice asked from behind them. Jack turned and looked at the pretty woman with a look of horror on his face.

"Grant was sending Sue emails. He attached this picture to the first one." Tara clicked back to the text of the email.

Lucy visibly paled as she read the threatening words. She whispered, "I remember that night. It was a week after Sue decided to stay here in DC rather than take the job in New York. We were having a movie night and Levi got into Sue's ice cream. That man must have been watching us for months."

"Why this picture though? Why not just any picture of the two of you?" Tara asked.

Jack responded, "To show that he could reach them anywhere. That they weren't safe even in their own home." _And now, this man has Sue._

4:45 pm

The day had been a long one. Jack was starting to feel a little discouraged, despite the information they had learned from Bailey Thomas. Sue had been missing for almost four days, and they still had no idea where the man was currently keeping her.

Levi looked up into Jack's face with a mournful look in his eyes. He was missing his owner desperately. "I know, buddy, I miss her too. We're going to find her, I promise you that. Do you have any ideas? We could really use the "wonder dog" right now." Jack rubbed the golden retriever's head.

"You know, I always pegged you as a dog person." Jack looked up to find Allie standing in front of his desk holding a bag of carry-out. She smiled at him. "Bobby told me I could find you here. He says that your eyelids have been glued open for the past few days and thought that maybe I could help you relax for a bit."

"Thanks, Allie. It means a lot. I'm just worried. Sue has been missing for nearly four days now, and we have reason to believe that her kidnapper is actually a serial killer."

"Well, I may not know a lot about investigating or following leads, but I can bring you food. And you always did say that food helps you think better." Allie set the bag on his desk and began to pull out several cartons of food. "I didn't know what kind of food would help clear your head, so I got a little bit of everything."

"Oh, you are truly an angel. I'm starving." Jack grabbed a container of Italian and began to shovel the food into his mouth. They sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company.

"I know how the investigation is coming, but how are you doing?" Allie asked quietly.

"I wish that there was more that I could do. This guy has been stalking Sue for weeks, and I didn't know anything about it. I couldn't help her, and I can't help her now. I need her home." Jack's voice was soft and broken. "I need to be able to find her, not just leads. I need to Sue to be safe."

"You know, I never heard how the two of you met. I'm sure it's a great story."

"I was having a rather bad day at the office when she came in. Sue had been hired in the special projects because she is deaf and she didn't appreciate that. She had come in here because the directory hadn't been updated and it still said that this was personnel. I was very curious about who she was, as you can imagine, especially when I saw that she had a dog with her. During lunch, I decided to try to find her in the cafeteria, and that's when I found out that she is deaf and can read lips.

"I convinced the Bureau to give her a chance. And she got assigned to our team as a surveillance specialist. It was the best mistake she ever made, coming into my office."

"I would like to get to know her better. Sue sounds amazing." Allie smiled at Jack. Then she nudged his arm. "So, was it love at first sight then?"

Jack laughed out loud at that. It was an old joke of theirs. Allie had always believed in love at first sight, while Jack maintained that it was impossible. "No, I think I started to fall in love with her when I told her she was assigned to our team. She gave me a hug right then and was so excited. So it was close."

"Hey, Jack. Sorry to interrupt, but I think we may have something," Myles said. Jack stood up and walked over to his teammate who was standing by Tara. Allie, followed and murmured a soft goodbye to him.

"What do you have?"

"The owners of the house Sue was kept in are Lawrence and Jane Frayser. Does that name sound familiar?"

"Yeah, he was Grant's roommate while he was in DC as a part of Alpha Phi."

"He and his wife are currently vacationing in the Bahamas with their two daughters, leaving their home conveniently vacant. I managed to get ahold of him, and they are on their way home now. He claims to not have known that Grant was in DC, but you know, that's what they all say," Myles said.

Jack nodded. "Okay, keep me posted. I want to talk to Mr. Frayser when he comes in."

"Jack, the car was spotted in Georgetown early this morning by a traffic camera. He might still be in the area," D said from his own desk.

"Myles, have you been able to find any files or records of the Alpha Phi fraternity?" The blonde agent nodded. "Okay, see if any of them live in that area of DC. Grant might take Sue to another one of his frat brothers' houses. If so, maybe we can predict where he will be."

9:00 pm

Sue struggled to stay awake. Her body had taken several severe beatings over the last four days, and she had had very little food or water. She was dying. _I'm sorry, Jack. I tried to hold on, but I don't think I can make it much longer. I wish I could see you one last time. I'd tell you I love you and that you are the greatest man I've ever known._

Gabriel had not been anywhere near her at all that day. No horrifying beatings or worse. Nothing. And that concerned Sue. _Is he leaving me here to die?_ Suddenly, she felt a tremor in the house that indicated that a door had closed. She jerked a little at the hand that touched her cheek. Then Sue felt a sharp pinch in her arm and then nothing.

10:00 pm

Gabriel watched the woman in the living room of the new house. He was angry and longed to kill her right then and there. His little camera that was attached to Sue's desk at work had shown him that the agent had already discovered his name and connected him with Lawrence. That had forced him to move up his timetable.

She had slipped into unconsciousness sometime over the last hour and was sitting in her chair. He had listened carefully to her breathing and was pleased to hear it slowing down. _Soon_ , he thought.

One last thing was left for him to do. And that wouldn't take long.

 **Thanks everyone for your support of this story. Sorry it took so long to update, I've been working on school and dealing with health issues. I do not own any of these characters or the show, this story is purely for fun. Simon is a reference to the episode Simon Says. I also included more of Allie since so many people said they liked my portrayal of her.**

 **As always, please review. I'm also writing some one shots of these characters and need ideas. Let me know in the reviews.**


	6. Wednesday (part 1)

**I apologize for not posting sooner. I had a class that was completely due this week and the LDS General Conference this weekend. I've barely had time to write. But here is the next chapter as requested. I hope you all enjoy.**

Wednesday

12:14 am

Jack slowly approached the door. The house was silent and his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. The hallway he was in was dark, and he didn't dare risk turning on the light as it might warn Gabriel Grant that he was there. He silently turned the doorknob, praying that he would find Sue and be able to take her home. They had both been living in this nightmare for long enough. It was finally over.

The door opened and creaked a little as it swung on old hinges. Jack saw Sue sitting in a chair, facing away from him. The rest of the room was empty. He ran to her, and crouched down to look at her face.

His heart shuddered to a stop. Her beautiful face was pale and ghostlike. Jack reached up a hand to stroke her cheek and felt the ice in her skin. Her body swayed, then, almost in slow-motion, she fell to the floor. Jack's fingers trembled as he reached out to touch her neck, hoping that this was all in his imagination. That she would suddenly jump up, full of life and breath. But his hand only encountered cold, still skin. The light in his life seemed to go out with this realization, and the first tear fell from his eye.

Jack jerked awake, his head colliding with his desk lamp. He groaned and looked around the office. Everyone was busy looking for leads on where Sue was located, hoping to find her before it was too late. Jack rubbed his face, forcing the sleep from his mind and trying not to remember the horribly realistic dream had just had. Lucy noticed he was awake and moved to sit next to him.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, just worried. I want her back."

"You were muttering in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?" Lucy looked at him with understanding. In all of his worry and concern for Sue, he had almost forgotten that Lucy was her best friend and roommate. She had to be taking this just as hard as he was.

"I found her and she was already dead. It was awful. But, I'm guessing that you have probably had the same kind of dreams any time you fall asleep."

Lucy nodded. "I'm scared to go to sleep, because every time I close my eyes, I see her lying there, like she's dead. I can't give up hope yet. I refuse to believe that she is gone."

"I've found that drinking hot cocoa helps me recover and keep going. Besides, I have a feeling that we're close to finding her," Jack said with more conviction than he felt. He was rewarded with a bright smile from the woman next to him. Myles however, broke up the moment.

"Jack, there is a fraternity member who lives in Georgetown who is gone for a couple of weeks at a conference. His name is Ricky Johnson and he is the vice-president of an accounting business. The three other frat brothers in the area are currently home," Myles said. "If Grant is using their houses to hide out in, my guess is that he would use Johnson's."

Jack's hopes leapt and he eagerly started to dict his fellow teammates. "Great work, Myles. Get SOG on the house and work on getting a warrant. I want to go in tonight if possible. D, contact SWAT and have them get ready to roll out on a moment's notice. Lucy, contact the local police and get an ambulance to meet us at the house. My guess is that Sue will need to be taken in immediately. The rest of you, get ready to bring Sue home," Jack said. He was eager to see her alive and safe again.

12:30 am

The green light to search the Johnson home came in and the team jumped into action. Tara would be in the surveillance van monitoring all the activity and ready to send in the paramedics to help anyone who was injured. Lucy was to stay at the office and meet them at the hospital if Sue really was at the house. Everyone else was involved in the actual raid, and they quickly got into their protective gear.

"Remember, we have two priorities. First, get Sue out of there and keep her safe. Second, find and arrest Gabriel Grant. If you need to, get Grant first to protect Sue. Get her to the ambulance as fast as possible." Jack quickly took charge of the group and directed everyone to where they would be of the most help.

12:54 am

"3, 2, 1, execute," Tara's voice came over the comms. Her words brought immediate action from the agents surrounding the dark home. Jack and Bobby had drawn the short straws and were standing by the kitchen door. The tall Aussie kicked the door open, breaking the hinges and splintering the door. Jack was immediately through the opening and swung his firearm around.

"FBI, come out with your hands up! Grant, we know you're here." The two moved through the kitchen and dining room, checking periodically for any sign that Gabriel Grant was there and waiting to ambush them. Jack moved slowly down a dark hallway. The house had gone eerily silent, as if everyone was holding their breath. Jack slowly approached the door at the end of the hallway.

 _If there is any place where Grant is going to ambush us, it will be in this room._ Jack gripped the cold doorknob and silently turned it, careful to not make any sound. The door swung open, and it seemed like he was looking into his nightmare from before. The room was empty except for a blonde woman sitting on a chair with her back to them. She was slumped forward, with her hand tied roughly behind her. They seemed to be the only things keeping her from falling over.

"Sue," Jack breathed her name, suddenly terrified at what he might find. He walked over and crouched in front of the chair. Her face was bruised and swollen, so much that he doubted that she would have been able to open her eyes if they weren't blindfolded. His hands shook as he reached up and untied the cloth.

Bobby came over and stood behind him. "Is she alive?" he whispered.

Jack moved his finger to find the pulsepoint in her neck. For one terrible moment, he felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. But then, miracle of miracles, one tiny beat. Sue took a shuddering breath, shallow, but still a breath.

Bobby actually laughed in relief. "We found Sue. Tara, we need the paramedics in here. She's in bad shape, but she's alive."

There were actual cheers coming over the comms at the announcement. Bobby got to work untying Sue's arms and legs from the chair while Jack held her to keep her from falling. He gently laid her on her back, making sure that her airway was open. He kept a careful watch on her breathing and checked her pulse.

The two paramedics rushed into the room, moving the two agents aside and taking over the care of the deaf woman. They quickly lifted her onto the gurney, and strapped her down. Jack watched in a daze as they wheeled her from the room.

 _Thank you, God. Thank you for letting me find her alive._ Jack took a breath and collected himself. He turned to his best friend. "Bobby, could you handle the processing of the scene?" Once the Aussie nodded, Jack continued. "Alright, Tara, will you call Lucy and have her meet us at the hospital. I'm going to go with Sue in the ambulance."

Jack followed the paramedics out, watching as they loaded her into the ambulance. One of them took pity on the handsome agent and allowed him to get into the vehicle with them. The paramedic could see the concern the young man had for his patient and figured he would want to ride with them.

Gratefully, Jack climbed into the back of the ambulance, but made sure to sit out of the way of the two men. They kept working on Sue, tending to her many bleeding cuts and bruises. One of them had a breath bag on her, helping her to breathe.

1:15 am

Bobby looked around the crime scene, disgusted by the evidence of Sue's beatings. The crime scene technicians were already on their way, and all there was really left to do was make sure the area was secure. Bobby wandered back to the kitchen, checking for any other evidence he would need to point out to the CSI. He stopped suddenly, noticing a black recorder on the counter.

"Hey, D, Myles, come check this out. There's a recorder left here in the kitchen. knowing how careful that drongo has been, it's probable here on purpose." Bobby slipped latex gloves on before he touched the playback button. The last thing recorded began to play through the kitchen.

 **"I assume that I am speaking to the teammates of Jack and Sue, since the couple are most likely on their way to the hospital. Shame. I would have liked to talk to Jack one last time. But then again, I still might.**

 **"I'm sure you're wondering why I am doing this. I've come to discover that when Jack Hudson and Sue Thomas work together, the bad guys never have a chance. They are the best in the Bureau. And what better way to bring down the FBI, then by killing their two best agents. You, see, I want my revenge.**

 **"I've spent the last six years plotting my revenge, practicing on other, smaller agencies. And now, everything has come together perfectly.**

 **"Perhaps you'll get to see them one last time. Or maybe not. Only time will tell."**

The recording stopped, and the three agents looked at each other. "What do you suppose he meant?" Bobby asked.

Myles looked at the device thoughtfully. "We know that he is careful, and that he is patient. He obviously has a plan that he has thought through and carried out carefully. He knew that we would find Sue here today and he obviously planned for it."

D cut in, "Which means he also knew that we would send Sue to the hospital." The implications of this information shocked them all into silence. Then D asked, Where did Jack go? He's Grant's other target."

"He went with Sue on the ambulance. He left the crime scene for us to deal with." The thought hit all three of them at once, but it was Myles who voiced it.

"Grant is going to attack them at the hospital!"

Bobby pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Jack's number. He waited as it rang and rang, but here was no answer. Bobby looked at his friends, a stricken look in his eyes. "He's not answering."

"Tara, we think that Jack and Sue might be in danger. Grant is probably going to attack them at the hospital and we can't get ahold of Jack. I need you to try to get him on the line and warn him. The rest of us are going to go to the hospital and meet them there," D said. "He's not answering his phone right now."

"Let's pray we can warn him in time," Bobby said quietly.

1:15 am

Jack watched from the corner of the ambulance as the two paramedics worked to keep her heart rate up and her breathing deep. Distantly, he could hear the sirens warning cars about their passage. The ambulance driver sped through the intersections, taking care to not jolt the patient in the back.

The vehicle slowed down, seemingly waiting for other cars to get out of the way. Jack, however, didn't even notice. His sole focus was on the woman he loved that was lying there dying.

 _Please, keep her alive. Keep her from dying. God, please, I need her. I love her. Sue is the best thing that has ever happened in my life and I don't think I can go on without her._ Jack kept saying the same thing over and over, repeating his prayer like a mantra. His gaze never wavered from Sue. With every breath she took, with every beep of the monitor, he breathed out his gratitude. Then he would hold his breath again until her chest rose once more.

Then, several alarms went off, and the paramedics began to frantically perform CPR on the deaf woman. She was dying, and there was absolutely nothing that he could do to stop it.

Jack prayed like he had never prayed before; he wasn't even saying complete words anymore, just an endless stream of "please" sent heavenward. He barely noticed the tears that were streaming down his face. He was so focused on the woman and the heart monitor that he didn't notice his phone ringing.

The paramedics were working furiously, trying to save Sue from dying on the way to the hospital. Jack felt like he couldn't breathe. "No, please, no," he whispered in a strangled voice. The monitor went to a solid beep, as her heart stopped.

A gasp came from Jack, and he tried to reach Sue's side, desperate to do something to save her. "Come on, Sue! Don't leave me. You've got to fight!" One of the paramedics held him back while the other shocked Sue once, twice, three times. Then a beep sounded, and her heart rate returned to normal. Jack let out a sob in relief.

In the frantic activity, they hadn't noticed that the ambulance had come to a stop until the back door opened. Two loud bangs sounded, and Jack seemed to look around him in slow motion. The two men who had just been fighting to save Sue's life, were lying on the ground, blood flowing from the fatal wounds. A pain ripped through his abdomen, and he fell to his knees.

A familiar voice broke through the fog that had encompassed his brain. "Hello, Jack. I'm glad to finally meet you in person." Jack raised his eyes and met the cold ones looking at him. The eyes of a killer. The eyes of Gabriel Grant.

"We're going to have a lot of fun."

 **So, lots of fun stuff. I hope you guys don't completely hate me after this chapter. I'm going to try to publish the next chapter soon, but I'm having a hard time writing climaxes. I've never gotten this far in a story before, and I had to delete large portions of this chapter before it finally was acceptable. As always, reviews are much appreciated and I also like that so many of you want Jack and Sue one shots. Love the, and keep em coming.**


	7. Wednesday (part 2)

**Thanks everyone for your support for this story. It's awesome. We passed over a thousand views today! Woohoo! And since I left you with such a cliffhanger, I decided to give you a fairly long chapter. This chapter was rather difficult to write, and I finally was diagnosed this week, which means it took even longer. I found out that I have Crohn's disease, which is a chronic auto-immune disease. So I could definitely use some extra prayers. And without further ado, here is the next chapter.**

1:30 am

Jack stumbled to his feet, trying to pull his gun from the holster with his right hand while his left hand clutched his stomach. He could still feel the impact from the bullet on his bulletproof vest. There were already bruises formed on his stomach, and he struggled to pull in a breath. Grant reached into the ambulance and pulled the handgun away from Jack's clutching fingers. He grabbed Jack's arm and threw him on the ground outside.

Looking around, Jack realized that they were not anywhere near the hospital, but were in a dark and abandoned parking lot. His brain seemed to be in overdrive, trying to figure out what had happened and how to react to the situation. _Where are we? Can I protect Sue long enough for Bobby and the others to get another ambulance here? How do even contact Bobby_? Jack focused his eyes on the man prowling around him, like a tiger with his prey. _How do I deal with him? He's got my gun and his own, and I'm injured. Grant definitely has the upper hand here. How can I get the advantage over him?_

To his horror, Jack watched as Grant turned from him and walked back to the back door of the ambulance. Sue was lying there, breathing shallow and her heartbeat slow.

"Sue! Stay away from her!" Jack gasped. He tried to get up off of the pavement, desperate to protect her from the madman who had been threatening her for weeks. A short breath was pushed from his lungs as Grant drove his steel toes boot into his stomach. Jack collapsed back on the ground.

"Your dedication to her is admirable, but you can't save her now. You and I will watch as she dies, and then, I will kill you," Gabriel Grant said. "She won't last much longer." He began to circle Jack again watching as he tried to get his breath back. The kick had knocked the wind out of him, and he was desperately trying to get his breathing under control. "So, this is the great Jack Hudson. You know, I thought you would be taller. But then, the heroes never live up to our expectations.

"I've been watching you over the months, trying to determine if you were good at your job. You and Miss Thomas were considered the best in the FBI, an unstoppable team. I knew that I would have to stop you if I wanted to get my revenge."

Jack was able to gasp out a question, desperate to distract Grant from Sue. "What revenge?"

"My wife was kidnapped, and the FBI never found her. She's dead somewhere, and the greatest law enforcement agency in the world gave up after two days. I had to give up thousands of dollars as a ransom, but I never saw her again." The pain and anguish in his voice was evident and for a moment, Jack felt sorry for the man. But he remembered all of the worry and frustration and fear he had lived through for the last few days and knew that he had to try to stop this man. He had some severe mental problems, that was plain to see.

Gabriel Grant kept ranting about the FBI, but Jack stopped listening. He instead focused on his gun lying a few feet away from him. _If I can somehow reach my gun without Grant noticing, I can stop him and get to Sue_. He waited for the perfect opportunity to move.

1:45 am

"What do you mean, nobody has come into the ER in the last hour? Two of our friends came here on an ambulance and should have been here by 1:30." Bobby was having a difficult time controlling his temper as he argued with the registration nurse at the front desk.

"We've had a rather slow evening, and I think I would know if a deaf woman was admitted tonight," the nurse said, her tone of voice indicating her boredom. This man had been questioning her for the past two minutes about patients who were definitely not at in the ER.

"Look, this woman has been kidnapped for four days and we just barely found her. We all are close friends of hers and we are also here to protect her. The kidnapper is still on the loose!" Again, the nurse replied to Bobby, telling him that there were no current patients that matched the description of Sue or Jack.

Lucy put her hand on Bobby's forearm, forestalling any further statements that he would later regret. She thanked the registration nurse, and led the agent from the desk to the other members of their team. "Where could they possibly be? They should have gotten back here ages ago," Tara said.

D looked around the group, worry evident on his face. "We need to find them, figure out where the ambulance possibly could have gone. Tara, you get on your computer and see if you could trace Jack's cell phone and get us a location. Bobby, keep trying to call him, and take Myles. Get the Metro police to help you look for them. Grant might have got to them already."

Lucy opted to stay in the hospital with Tara and help her. Everyone went about the tasks they had been given, none of them mentioning the fear that had taken hold of their hearts. Bobby tried to relax his hand from a fist. Myles took several deep breaths, desperate to hold back a panic attack. Tara was trying to focus her eyes on her computer screen through her tears. D was barking orders to several police officers that had accompanied them. And Lucy checked out the window every few minutes, hoping to see her friends come up to the entrance.

They each had a prayer repeating in their minds, _Please, God, help us find them. Help us find them alive._

1:50 am

Adrenaline coursed through Jack's veins, keeping him awake and unconscious of the bruises forming on his stomach. His whole focus was directed towards the man who had stopped next to the ambulance. _Hold on Sue. Just a little longer and I'll get you out of here._

Gabriel Grant had stopped talking a few minutes ago. To any good agent, that was a sign that the situation was about to go critical. Jack watched the kidnapper as he began to pace back and forth, becoming more agitated.

 _This is the best time to try to get my gun_. Jack inched across the ground, careful to keep his movements small and silent to not attract attention. Five feet. Three feet. One foot. And the gun was in his reach.

It was at this time, that Gabriel began to climb into the ambulance. "It's taking too long for her to die. It's time to get a little messy." Grant glanced at Jack, throwing him a ghastly smile.

 _Lord, please help me to save Sue in time. Keep my hand steady and sure_. Jack lunged for his handgun, and leapt to his feet, sighting the gun as he did so. Gabriel turned at the sudden sound and he, too, raised his gun. As Jack pulled his trigger, aiming for the other man's heart, he felt the tip of his gun drag downward a little. Two shots echoed through the night, almost on top of each other.

Gabriel Grant toppled to the ground, clutching at a gaping wound in his left knee. The gun fell from his grasp, and Jack hurried over and picked it up, emptying the chamber as he did so. He wouldn't want Grant to pull the same stunt that Jack just did.

Immediately, Jack jumped into the ambulance and checked Sue's pulse. It was light and slow, but still there. _Thank you, Lord, for keeping her alive. And for changing the direction of my bullet. Sue would not have wanted him dead_. Jack climbed back out of the ambulance and carefully trained his gun on Gabriel Grant. With his other hand, he dug out his cell phone.

The phone rang for just a second before Bobby picked up. "Jack, where have you been? We've been trying to reach you for the last half hour or so. Blimey, we've been so worried."

"Grant was driving the ambulance and took us to this empty parking lot. I can't see any signposts or any landmarks. Bobby, we need two ambulances where we are as fast as you can. Grant has a wound in his leg, and Sue is fading."

"Okay, we'll have Tara track your phone, just stay on the line. Are you alright, mate?" Bobby's concern was evident in his voice.

"He shot me, but it hit my vest. The two other paramedics that were taking care of Sue were shot as soon as Grant took us here. They're dead. Once you have a location, get a crew of crime scene technicians out here and a coroner." Jack looked around the dark parking lot, trying to see anything that would help his friends find them, and he noticed Grant trying to scoot away.

"Move another inch, and I'll put another bullet in you!" his voice cracked like a whip. Grant stopped moving immediately.

On the phone, Jack heard Bobby say that they had his location, and that he was sending the ambulances to him now. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Grant was incapacitated, and Sue would soon be safe and on the mend.

2:00 am

Bobby hung up the phone and waved to Myles and D, both of whom were standing close by when the phone call had come in. He thanked Tara, who was sitting nearby, then turned to the others. "We have a location on Jack and Sue. Grant was the driver of their ambulance and took them to the far side of DC. We need to accompany two other ambulances there, and escort them back to the hospital. Sue is fading, so we've got to move fast."

The three agents climbed into separate vehicles and met up with the ambulances and followed them. They drove in silence, only checking the others' positions once in awhile. They finally saw the flashing lights of the ambulance that Jack must have turned on, and drove into the vacant lot.

Bobby saw his best friend standing close to the back of the vehicle, his gun pointed at a figure lying on the ground. The headlights of the Sedan that the Aussie was driving lit up the scene, and blinded the man on the pavement. Jack had the sense to not turn and look.

"I'm glad you guys are here. Sue is still strapped to the gurney inside the ambulance. Her breathing and pulse is really slow, but she's still holding on. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible, or she might not survive the night."

"Is that Gabriel Grant?" Bobby asked softly.

Jack nodded, and Bobby immediately moved to join the paramedics who were currently treating his gunshot wound. He watched as they loaded him onto a gurney, and Bobby took that chance to handcuff him to the side rail. Bobby had no pity in his eyes for the man who had hurt his good friend. No one in the office would be forgiving Gabriel Grant any time soon.

Nearby, D and Myles were helping the other paramedics move Sue from the back of the ambulance. The two bodies were lying there, and the agents were careful to not move them or disturb any evidence available.

"We need to get her to the ER stat. Her breathing is uneven, and her pulse is erratic. She also looks like she has severe internal bleeding in her abdomen and multiple broken ribs. Potential punctured lung, and a broken left ulna," one of the paramedics was saying into his radio. They rushed over to the second ambulance, where they were joined by Jack.

"I'm coming with you. I'm going to make sure she gets to the hospital this time," he said. The look in his eye cut off any argument the paramedic might have given. Instead, he just nodded and let Jack climb in.

The paramedics were focused on their task, and barely even paid attention to Jack. They checked Sue's blood pressure, heart rate and lungs. All seemed to be lower than they should be, and the lead paramedic looked at the other in concern. "We should get her to the hospital as soon as possible. It looks like she is extremely dehydrated. And if she hasn't been eating very much, she could become hypoglycemic."

The driver of that ambulance put his sirens on and stepped on the gas. None of them wanted to lose this patient.

Those in the other ambulance and vehicles accompanying Sue and Jack noticed the increase in speed, and they sped up to. D looked over at Bobby. They both were worried, and wordlessly, D turned his own siren on and followed the emergency vehicle in front of them.

2:10 am

Lucy leapt to her feet when she heard the ambulance sirens coming. She ran to the window and looked out in time to see the Sedan, two ambulances, and a couple other government cars pull into the parking lot. Tara joined her at the window. Together, they watched as the paramedics jumped out and quickly unloaded the patients. One of the patients was obviously Sue, especially since they could see Jack moving behind the gurney. The two women couldn't see who the other patient was.

They waited eagerly in the waiting room of the ER for any news about their dear friend. Finally, Bobby came out of the double doors and approached them. One look at his face, and they both heaved a sigh of relief.

"She's alive right now. Although she came very close to dying earlier. I think they are going to give her some IV fluid to combat her low blood sugar and dehydration, then go into surgery to fix any other problems. They said that she has a concussion and there may be bleeding in the brain, but they have to wait until the threat of hypoglycemia is gone before they can do any tests. It'll be awhile before they know anything for certain," Bobby told her quietly.

Lucy looked at her friend. "I saw Jack get out of the ambulance that had Sue, but there was a second ambulance. Who was on it?" Lucy was, of course, concerned that another of their friends had been injured, or that the found another victim of the madman who had tormented her best friend. But her fears were put to rest by Bobby's next words.

"No, Jack had to shoot Grant in the leg to keep him from killing Sue. They have him in surgery right now to repair the damage to his knee. But he will survive."

"Can I go in and sit with Sue? I know she's not awake, but I need to see her."

Bobby cringed a little inside, knowing that Lucy would have eventually asked to see her roommate and friend. But Sue was in a bad condition, and it would shock

Lucy to see her like that. At the same time, he knew that Lucy would not rest until she saw that Sue was indeed safe. He nodded, and led her through the doors of the ER to the room that Sue was in.

"Luce, before you go in, just know that she has been through alot, and she isn't looking her best right now. It may come as a shock," Bobby said, his hand on her arm. His unspoken words echoed in his eyes. Sue looked awful.

Steeling herself, Lucy took a breath and gently pushed open the door. She first saw Jack, sitting on the chair next to the hospital bed, still in his gear from their raid on the Johnson home. He looked exhausted, since he had barely had any sleep in the last four days. Then her eyes were pulled to the woman lying on the bed.

Sue was thin, her skin almost transparent. There was severe bruising all over her face, forming a mottley of blues, purples, yellows, and a touch of brown. One eye was swollen to the point that, even if she was conscious, there was no way she would be able to open it. A bandage wrapped around her head and a second one wrapped around a splint on her left forearm. An oxygen line was in her nose, helping her get enough oxygen to her body. Sue was pale, at least the portions of her that weren't obscured by bruises and bandages. The sight made tears come to Lucy's eyes.

Lucy walked to the bed, and gently grabbed Sue's right hand, careful to avoid the IV line that was attached to it. Jack stood up and joined her at the bedside. He put his arm around the beauty beside him, offering comfort to her.

"Remember, she's alive, and she is here with us. She'll be okay," Jack murmured in her ear. Silently, Lucy nodded, biting back her tears. She turned to Jack.

"Why don't you go get something to eat and get out of your equipment. Bobby and I can stay with her until you get back."

Jack hesitated, but then looked over and saw Bobby in the doorway. He knew that Bobby would never let anything happen to Sue while she was under his care. "Alright, I'll take off my jacket and vest in here. I'd rather not go walking through the hospital with them on. I'll go get something to eat after."

He winced as he began to move his arms to remove his jacket and vest. He was extremely sore from all of the tension from earlier, as well as the bullet the vest had taken. Jack carefully took off his FBI jacket, and then began to tug off the bulletproof vest underneath. He stopped when he heard Lucy gasp.

"Jackson, you're bleeding! And you didn't say anything?" She hurried over and helped Jack take off his vest the rest of the way while Bobby went to go get a nurse.

"I knew that Grant shot me in the vest, but I guess it was so close, that the force still broke skin. I didn't even notice until now. I was too focused on getting Sue out of there alive."

Bobby came back with a nurse and ushered Jack into a different room. She had him put on a hospital gown and then gave him some numbing medication. The nurse then left the two friends together while they waited for Jack's stomach to become numb.

"Bobby, promise me that you'll keep an eye on Sue and let me know what's going on."

"Don't worry mate, I'll take care of her. You just get all patched up and good to go. Then you can take over again. I know that you would prefer to be beside Sue, rather than stuck in your own hospital bed."

"Would you mind bringing me my phone? I have a few calls that I need to make. I need to let people know that Sue has been found." Jack thought of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas who were absolutely worried about their daughter. They were driving from Ohio to DC and would arrive sometime that morning. Howie, Charlie, Troy, Amanda, and many more of Sue's friends would be delighted to find out that she was safe.

Bobby nodded, then left the room.

4:00 am

Lucy watched as the nurses wheeled Sue out of the hospital room. They had done an MRI and had found bleeding in her brain from multiple head traumas and were taking her into surgery. After they left, she went to go find Jack and give him the update.

The problem with hospitals was that even if the patient was relatively healthy, they still ended up staying for several hours. This was the case for Jack, and he was going stir crazy. Lucy cautiously approached his room, like other agents would an active bomb. She peeked her head around the doorframe and saw Jack idly flipping through the channels on the TV. He looked over at her and gave a wry grin as he motioned her to come in.

"How's Sue doing?" he asked immediately.

"She just went into surgery. They found some bleeding in her brain that is putting pressure of her occipital lobe. If it continues, she could end up being blind." Lucy's voice shook as she repeated what the doctor had told her.

Jack cursed silently and put his own head into his hands. He glanced back at his good friend and sighed. "Lucy, do you know how long this surgery is supposed to take?"

"They said at least a couple hours, if not longer."

Jack hit the button on his pager to call the nurse. She came in a few minutes later, asking what he needed. "Is it okay if I leave? My stomach has been stapled shut and there is no sign of any leakage or additional problems. My friend is going into surgery, and I would prefer to not be sitting around in a hospital bed waiting for her."

"The doctor says that you are good to go. Just make sure you take care of your wound, and if you see any sign of infection, let us know. The staples should be good to take out in two weeks." The nurse smiled as Jack let out a shout of relief. He was obviously one of those people who hated being a patient.

Lucy helped him gather up his belongings and handed him the spare t-shirt Bobby had lent him. Together, they walked out of the ER and to the waiting room where the rest of their team was. Tara was, as they could have guessed, on her computer, playing some type of game. Myles was reclined on a chair, and gently snoring. D had several papers and folders with him and was talking on the phone with someone on the crew processing the crime scenes. And Bobby was pacing.

As soon as the pair walked in, Tara bumped Myles and D hung up the phone. Tara stood up. "What's the news?"

Jack motioned for Lucy to explain since she was the one who had been talking with the doctor on behalf of Sue's parents. She quickly explained everything that she knew. All there was left to do was wait.


	8. Waiting

**Life really does get crazy. Sorry about the wait for the update. I kept having to rewrite and some characters just barely decided to show up. Surprise! Anywho, I hope you all enjoy. I'll post the next chapter sooner, I promise.**

8:00 am

Tara, Myles, and D had gone home to try to get some sleep after the long hours they had put in the past few days. But Lucy and Jack stayed in the hospital along with Bobby, waiting for Sue to get out of surgery. They had moved to the surgical waiting room, rather than the ER where they had been the last few hours.

Lucy was curled up, sleeping fitfully, but resting and neither of the men had the heart to wake her up. Bobby sat next to her and kept an arm around her to keep her from falling off the uncomfortable hospital chair. Occasionally, he would doze off, too, but would wake up after about ten minutes. Jack never sat down. He kept pacing the room, wringing his hands, and looking up every time they heard footsteps coming from a hallway.

The night shift nurses would bring them hot coffee, or a sandwich from the cafeteria occasionally. They all felt bad for the three friends in the waiting room, knowing that the wait is the hardest part. And with how badly Sue was injured, they knew that they were all hoping for good news.

Jack stopped pacing and went to the window, watching as the sun rose. _Please, Lord, I can't lose Sue. I need her in my life and she might not make it out of this surgery. You have given us so many miracles over the past few days, and I am so grateful. Please send us, send me, one more and let Sue be okay._ The sky turned a beautiful pink color as the sun began to peek her face over the skyscrapers. Hope and peace filled his soul as the light filtered into the waiting room.

It was at this moment that Sue's parents walked into the room. Jack looked over at them while Bobby gently shook Lucy awake. Mr. Thomas went and sat down next to Lucy, taking her hand in his and giving her a hug. Mrs. Thomas, however, looked a little lost. Jack walked over to her.

"Mrs. Thomas, I'm Jack Hudson. I'm the one that has been giving you updates over the last few hours."

"Thank you so much for letting us know that our little girl is okay. And thank you for finding her. You put your own life on the line to protect her, and we are forever grateful to you." Sue's mom said with tears in her eyes. It was quite obvious that she loved her daughter very much and had been very worried over the last few days.

"You're very welcome. We love Sue and we are glad that she is safe," Jack said with a little hitch in his voice. Mrs. Thomas noticed and wrapped her arms around the man in front of her. He stood there, a little shocked at first at the gesture, but he soon relaxed into the embrace, putting his arms around the woman in front of him.

They stood that way for a few minutes, drawing comfort from each other's presence. Then Jack pulled away and smiled at Sue's mom. "So, are there any other hidden talents that Sue has?"

She laughed, a joyful sound that reminded him of Sue. "You have no idea. My

Sue is extraordinarily talented. She played soccer in kindergarten and beat everyone at chess in fifth grade. I could go on and on about her childhood, but I want to hear about what she does here. I don't hear from her as often as I would like."

Jack motioned to the chairs in the waiting room. "I don't think our office would survive long without her. When we thought she was going to move to New York, that was the absolute hardest week of our lives.

"I heard about a certain David occasionally when I was talking to her. Is he still around?"

"I'm not sure. Lucy would be the one to talk to. But I think he moved to New York for his landscaping business. I don't know if Sue still talks to him frequently."

"I'd think you would know all about the competition for my daughter," Mrs. Thomas said with a sly grin on her face. But as Jack was about to protest that he had no reason to keep tabs on the guys in Sue's life, she spoke again. "Listen, Jack. I know you love my daughter. I can see it in your eyes. I think I saw the beginnings when I visited Sue for Christmas that first year. You have spent the last four days worrying about her and trying to find her, with no care for your own health. I know what you've done for her. Lucy has been calling me frequently and explained everything that was happening, including the fact that you have barely slept or eaten. Jack, don't let her go. Sue cares deeply about all of you, but I think that you have a special place in her life. Don't let that go to waste."

"Believe me, I would love to be able to date Sue. But there are certain obstacles, and I'm not even sure if she would want to date me. As far as I know, she's never thought about me romantically before." Jack looked at Sue's mom, and realized he had just spilled his heart to the mother of the woman he loved. He looked away from her, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

The woman took pity on him, and patted his hand. "Just think about what I said. Now, I'm sure there have been some exciting stories about my daughter. After all, she works for the FBI. Perhaps you could tell me all about it."

Jack seized the lifeline gratefully. He started to tell her about how they first met, and their first case together. He told her about the bachelor auction, their undercover assignment as a married couple, and a Holocaust survivor. He told about her jokes, her caring smile, and how she knew exactly what to say and do to brighten someone's day. They sat like that for an hour or so, not paying any attention to the other two FBI agents who had fallen asleep, or Sue's dad who had moved closer and was listening.

Sitting with Sue's parents and talking about the past few years of his life with Sue, made the time pass by far more quickly. It was much easier, talking about light and happy things, rather than pacing the floor, worrying about the future. Before they realized it, it was almost 9:30 and the hospital was growing more crowded as other patients and their families filtered in.

Jack was in the middle of telling the story about the football game Sue had helped them win, when he spotted the doctor coming towards them. He stood up abruptly, all of his earlier fears and concerns flooding back into him. Bobby heard his sudden movement and woke with a start, bumping Lucy awake as well. Everyone stood to meet the doctor as he came toward them.

Jack couldn't find his voice, the fear that Sue had died was paralyzing him. Bobby was the first to find his voice. "Well, doctor? How is she? Is Sue okay?"

The doctor looked at the friends and family of the woman who was so obviously loved by them. He wished he could give them better news. "She is in the ICU right now, recovering from the surgery. We almost lost her a couple times. She would go into cardiac arrest, but we managed to get her back each time. We let the blood drain from around her brain, so she will hopefully not have any problems, but we are still monitoring her. She just needs to wake up. Once she's awake, we can find out if there are any other problems that need to be attended to."

Mrs. Thomas gave a small cry of relief, and let a few tears fall. The doctor turned to her, and smiled. "I assume you are the mother of Sue Thomas." She nodded. "I'll need to speak with you privately for a few minutes. If you'll come with me, please."

Sue's parents left with the doctor, and Jack, Bobby, and Lucy stood in the waiting room. The three friends stood there, staring after the doctor and sharing in the mixed feelings each felt. Relief that Sue was still alive, and that she was out of surgery, but worried about her still. In each mind, the same phrase repeated, _Please, Sue, wake up_.

12:00 pm

Bobby had finally convinced Lucy to go home and sleep, shower, and eat just an hour before. D had stopped in and checked on Sue before heading to the Bureau. Tara had brought her laptop just a few minutes ago, and sat next to Jack in the waiting room. Sue's parents had gone to her hospital room right after they had spoken with the doctor, and were sitting with her.

Jack definitely preferred to be doing something, rather than playing this waiting game. The hospital was not a place where someone could get rest, particularly when they are waiting for news concerning a loved one. And Jack had yet to fall asleep. He looked down at Levi, who had been brought with Tara and had sat next to him. Those brown eyes looked just as forlorn as he felt.

"I know, buddy. I'm sure she'll wake up soon,' Jack said with more conviction than he felt. He rubbed the soft ears and Levi gently nudged his hand, offering comfort as much as he was getting.

Jack thought back to all of the times he had taken Sue's friendship for granted, every time he had held back how he felt about her. All those times when she went out with David and he longed to be the one to kiss her goodnight. The time when he valued Jessica's opinion more than Sue's, and was proven wrong. And the time that she had nearly been killed by the serial killer they had been hunting. Never in his life had Jack been more terrified than when he found that man trying to strangle Sue. That is, until he found out that she was kidnapped.

 _I promise, when she wakes up, I won't leave things to chance anymore. I'll let her know how I feel and go from there. If she wants to stay friends, then I will content myself with that. She just needs to wake up._

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Thomas. He came and stood in front of the young man who looked so tired and worried. "Mr. Hudson, is it alright if my wife and I have a word with you in private?"

"Absolutely. And you can just call me Jack."

"As long as you call us Lauren and Jeffrey."

The two men walked down the hall a ways into what looked like a doctor's office. Sue's mom was waiting for them there. Jack took a seat across from the desk while Jeffrey elected to continue standing. They were both silent for a few minutes, allowing Jack to look more closely at them. Both faces seemed to have aged over the last few hours, and they looked like they had been crying.

"Is something wrong? Is Sue okay?" Jack asked, worry evident in his voice.

Jeffrey glanced at his wife quickly, then took a deep breath. "Sue is the same. What we need to talk to you about is the man who kidnapped her. We need to know if you plan on prosecuting him for everything he has done." His voice cracked a little bit at this last part.

"I promise you, he is not going to get away with anything he has ever done, both to Sue and to any other women he has victimized. But why are you asking me this?" Jack was a little confused. Usually, the victim and the parents decided to press charges and pursue a full conviction.

This time, Lauren answered him. "The doctor informed us that just after Sue's surgery, one of their nurses tested her with a rape kit. There was evidence that she had been raped, and they sent the kit to a crime lab to get the DNA tested against that man." She couldn't bring herself to even think of the kidnapper's name, not after what he had done to her daughter. She couldn't even continue, the horror was too terrible.

But she didn't need to. Jack felt sick to his stomach, thinking of Gabriel Grant and just how much torture he had put Sue through. _Poor Sue. I should have just listened to her when she came to my apartment. Maybe she wouldn't have ever been put into this awful situation_ , Jack thought to himself, not for the first time. He fought the urge to throw up, feeling the remnants of his last cup of coffee in his throat. He gripped the arms of the chair he was sitting in until his knuckles were white. He took a deep breath, then another.

Finally, he got past the initial sickness and began to feel anger towards Grant. _I should have shot him. I could have shot him, and I missed! I was aiming for his chest, and I hit his leg. That scumbag deserves to be dead right now!_ Sue's parents watched the emotions play over the young agent's face, knowing how he felt. They let him absorb this new information in quiet, knowing that eventually, like they did, he would begin to ask questions.

Rage boiled up inside of Jack, refusing to let his mind rest. The fact that Sue had somehow managed to keep her head and talk calmly to him on the phone when Grant had called, and to have the presence of mind to leave the name and note baffled him. But, a little thought entered his mind. _Sue would not have wanted you to kill him, no matter what he did to her. Be strong for Sue. Forgive him_. His mind seemed to balk at the idea of forgiving such a monster, but the words did bring a feeling of peace with them. Enough that he could think logically and could now think about what this information would do to Sue.

"You have my word that I will prosecute him for everything. When Sue wakes up, she will probably be confused and scared. It would help if there were no male doctors tending her and that the first person she sees is you, Lauren. You both can be there, but the sight of a man might put her into a panic attack. Just know that this situation will probably affect her in ways we can't fathom right now."

Sue's mom looked at Jack with a small smile on her face. "We hadn't thought of that, we were mainly concerned that this man be brought to justice. But we would ask that you keep this to yourself for now. Sue can tell the rest of your friends in her own time. But I think we should keep it between us for now."

Jack nodded, lost in his thoughts. _This is going to be really difficult to keep from Bobby and Lucy. Sue is going to need all the support she can get, and I need help to build the case against Grant. But Sue deserves to tell people in her own time_.

Lauren gently laid her hand on his arm. Once Jack looked at her, she said, "We've arranged for you to be able to visit her. Otherwise, only family members are allowed to be in her room. You can bring Lucy with you as well. We're going to go check into our hotel and get some rest since we haven't gotten much sleep over the last few days. You're welcome to go visit her right now, if you'd like."

Sue's parents left the room, allowing Jack to have a few moments to himself. He stood up and began to pace around the room, needing to move, but scared to leave. He didn't want to risk the chance that he would betray Sue's confidence.

A sob burst from him, tearing at his throat. _I am so sorry, Sue. I should have never let this happen. If only I had listened to you or noticed that you were stressed or something, I could have saved you from this anguish. I'm sorry, Sue_. His apology repeated in his mind until it became a continuing stream of 'sorrys'. Tears flowed down his face freely and Jack made no move to wipe them away. But deep inside, he could feel his anger bubbling, ready to explode in an inferno. One thing was certain, Grant would face the full fury of the courts.

After what seemed like hours, but was really less than forty-five minutes, Jack wiped his face and went to go to Sue's room. He stopped a nurse in the hall and quietly asked for directions. The nurse recognized him from the waiting room, and gladly took him to Sue.

Before Jack could go in, the nurse stopped him. "It looks bad, but she really is doing well. Remember that."

Jack nodded and slowly pushed the door open. The room was a plain white and sterile-looking. Sue was lying on the bed, looking deathly pale, her chest gently rising with each breath from the oxygen tubes. A bandage wrapped around her head and there were several bandages placed over the cuts she had been given. Her left forearm was in a cast, and her right arm had an IV line attached to it. The heart monitor beeped out a steady rhythm. She looked so fragile, laying on the bed, that it almost made Jack's heart break.

Despite the way Sue looked, Jack drew comfort from the fact that she was here. The past few days for him had been horrible. Sue had been a steady presence in his life since she had walked into his office all those years ago. To spend time at the office without her beautiful smile, was difficult for Jack. Simply being next to her, able to hold her hand, he was comforted, and let himself relax.

Memories came into his mind, unbidden. Memories of office pranks, a football game, a dance, and a kiss. Jack didn't know how long he sat there, watching Sue as she slept, thinking of all the time they had spent together. But eventually, he broke the silence.

"I know it's kind of ridiculous for me to be talking to you, since you can't hear, but I figure, I could still get some things off of my chest. You were always the inspired one in our office, able to solve any case we gave you. I could use some of that wisdom right now.

"I know what that monster did to you. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop him from hurting you like that. I can't imagine the terror you must have felt, not knowing what he was planning. Your parents told me, but they also asked that I keep it from everyone else for now. It is your secret to keep or tell, as you choose, but it's hard to keep this from Lucy and Bobby. We all love you, and there is no way that we would ever do anything to make you feel embarrassed or guilty for what happened to you.

"Sue, I dont' know if I can carry this alone right now. I need Bobby to help me with the case, and you will need Lucy for emotional support when you wake up. But I can't tell either of them. I need you to wake up and help me know what I need to do. What you need me to do with Grant."

Jack watched Sue's face, looking for any sign that she was stirring or waking up. But of course there wasn't even a twitch of her hand or her face. Jack sighed and stood up. He needed to go talk to the doctor and arrange that only female nurses and doctors treated Sue. He paused at the door, and looked back at the sleeping beauty. He felt a rush of courage and whispered, "Come back to me, Sue. I love you."

He turned and closed the door quietly behind him.

3:00 pm

 _I love you_. The thought seemed to reverberate through Sue's mind. She felt like she was floating through space, with nothing around her except for that phrase slowly echoing.

 _I love you_. The voice seemed so familiar, yet Sue was sure she had never heard it before. But she could not figure out why she couldn't have heard the voice before. Something about the voice spoke of comfort, a person she could always rely on. A name floated towards the surface of her mind, but just before she could understand what name it was, it slipped back into the abyss.

The fog was too thick, and Sue sank further into sleep. But every so often, when she felt like she should just let go, and let herself rest rather than fight, the voice would come again.

 _I love you. Come back to me_. So Sue kept fighting, struggling to think, to remember where she was and why she was asleep in the first place.

The first time she had the question "why am I asleep?" flow through her head, she wondered. If she was asleep, then she should just wake up. But no matter how hard she tried, Sue could never quite push herself through the last of the fog.

Eventually, she began to feel something other than fog. A sharp prick in her arm, followed by a dull pain in her head. More and more aches made themselves known, making it more difficult for Sue to sink back into her world of darkness and emptiness.

Then, she felt someone squeeze her hand. A small gesture, but it helped Sue know that she was not in this fight alone. That little squeeze gave her the strength to finally open her eyes. She could see, but she couldn't hear anything. This confused her at first, until she realized that she hasn't been able to hear for most of her life. She moved her eyes around the room, taking in the machines and the sterile white walls. Then her gaze landed on her mother, sitting next to her and holding her hand. She was facing away from Sue, but it looked as though she was talking to someone. Her dad.,

Sue opened her mouth, and tried to speak. It didn't seem that any sound came out, so she swallowed and tried again. "Mom, Dad."


	9. Reunion

**Sorry it has taken me so long. I had several reunions to write and I wasn't sure how to write them until just recently. This chapter took some interesting turns. But hopefully, I haven't left you guys with a cliff-hanger this time. I tried to include lots of Jack and Sue moments and I tried to make this chapter more happy then the last few ones. Also, I have become rebelcaptain trash. I love Rogue One and if you haven't seen it yet, you definitely should.**

4:30 pm

Since Lucy had called them to tell them about Sue's disappearance, Lauren Thomas had not been able to sit quietly. She had needed something to do, something to occupy her mind and hands while she waited for news. Their neighbors in Ohio were buried in baked goods and homemade meals. It wasn't until she and her husband managed to get on the road to DC, was she able to relax. Even then, any rest that Lauren got was full of nightmares concerning her only daughter.

Being able to see Sue, and hold her hand had done wonders for the two of them. But that small miracle did not match the overwhelming joy and gratitude that Lauren felt when she heard Sue whisper her name. Tears immediately blocked the sight of her daughter's blue eyes. Lauren wept openly, gently squeezing the small hand that she held.

Jeffrey leaned in close to his daughter, after he pushed the call button. His little girl, his angel, was awake and she was alive! There was no greater blessing he could have asked God for. He placed his hand on Sue's cheek, wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes. "It's okay, you're safe," he murmured over and over again.

The doctor arrived, and upon seeing Sue, she smiled. "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, she is going to be alright. Now that she is awake, she can start healing even faster. She'll need to get up and walk around in a little while, but for now, just enjoy her company." The nurses fluttered around Sue, taking her vitals and giving her pills to swallow. Their explanation of what each one was seemed to go over their heads, since none of the little family was paying attention. Finally, the army of nurses left the hospital room and they were left in relative silence.

Lauren took command of the situation, and spoke quietly to her daughter. "Alright, dear, you just close your eyes and rest. You've had an awful four days, and you need to recuperate."

To her surprise, Sue shook her head. "I need to see Jack and Lucy first. They need to know." Her voice was weak from disuse, and talking seemed to take a lot of energy out of her.

Jeffrey stood up, and gently placed a kiss on his little girl's forehead. "I'll go find them and bring them here."

5:00 pm

Lucy tried to keep herself from dozing off in the uncomfortable hospital chair. She already felt guilty for using Bobby's shoulder as a pillow through most of the early hours. The past few days had been either moments of adrenaline and stress, with long hours of waiting for leads to pan out. The irregular hours were starting to catch up with her, and her head drooped down.

A hand reached out and gently shook her shoulder, startling Lucy awake. She jerked upright to find Mr. Thomas in front of her, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. Fear coursed through Lucy. He had the same look on his face that her mother had when she told her daughter that her dad died. _Please, no. I can't lose her. I need her in my life. She makes me a better person, and I need her around._ Lucy sent up a silent prayer.

"Sue's awake, and she wants to see you. She's going to be fine."

Lucy began to cry, her relief was so great. She looked down at Levi, whom she had brought in with her. He put his head on her lap, seeking to comfort. "It's okay, Levi. Sue's going to be fine. She's alright." At the mention of Sue's name, he perked his head up and looked around, expecting to see his beloved mistress.

The dark skinned beauty picked up Levi's leash and stood up. She knew where Sue's room was, having visited her frequently since she got out of surgery. Mr. Thomas said something, but Lucy wasn't paying attention. Instead she just agreed and focused on taking Levi to see Sue.

D and Myles watched her go, curious at her bizarre behavior since they couldn't hear what was being said. _However_ , D thought, _we've all been acting strange since Sue was kidnapped._ As the oldest in their office, and the temporary supervisor, D felt responsible for the safety of their little family. When Jack had called him, worried about Sue's disappearance, he had tried to calm the anxious young man down. How he wished he could take back that conversation and try to change the outcome. The amazing woman they all loved could have been spared so much pain and anguish if he had only started the investigation that night, instead of waiting.

It was at times like these, D felt every one of his years, and felt a few more weighing down on him. Thankfully, Donna had understood how he felt and his need to stay at the office until Sue was found. For the first time since the video the kidnapper had sent, D had spent the morning with his family and relaxing. But, he still felt responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the young woman in the hospital, and so he had come to visit and spend time with Lucy and Tara in the waiting room.

Mr. Thomas approached the two agents, and broke D out of his thoughts. "Have you seen Jack anywhere? I haven't seen him in a while."

Myles answered, "Jack went with Bobby to interrogate Grant now that he is out of the hospital. He was released into police custody shortly after three this afternoon. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"When you see him again, could you tell him that Sue is awake and would like to see him. Lucy's taking Levi to visit now."

"Will she be okay?" D asked, his concern for her obvious.

"The doctor said that she will be fine, especially now that she is awake." Mr. Thomas smiled at the two agents who had given up their time and energy into finding his daughter. Sue had picked good friends for herself.

5:00 pm

Jack sat in the corner of the interrogation room watching as Bobby used a variety of tactics to try and get Gabriel Grant to talk to them. He had yet to ask for a lawyer, but he wasn't answering anything either.

"If I confess, what kind of deal would I get?" Grant said, in a smug voice. He seemed confident that the FBI would never find out about his past, or his wife.

Bobby slammed his hands down on the table, and put his face within inches of the kidnapper. "After everything you've done to Sue and what we suspect you have done to other women, even if you confess, you will likely never taste the sweet air of freedom again."

Jack stood and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Bobby turned away angrily, and paced back and forth throughout the room. Grant's smile widened a little. "Are you really playing good cop, bad cop? That Aussie is not very good at playing mean and aggressive. The FBI should send him back to Quantico."

"We might be doing the good cop, bad cop routine, but I can promise you, Agent Manning is not the "bad cop" in this room right now. I am." Jack purposely kept his voice low and calm. His eyes were like icicles, even though he smiled. Long ago, Jack had perfected his dangerous look for this very purpose. "Now, I have some questions, and you will answer them. Why did you target Agent Thomas?"

Grant was still maintaining his cocky expression. "I don't know, she was hot?"

Jack shook his head. He placed a recorder on the table in front of them. "I'm sure you know what this is. After all, it has your voice recorded on it, telling us that you wanted revenge on the FBI. Why did you choose Agent Thomas?"

Gabriel Grant had looked at the tape recorder as if it was a rattlesnake. His confidence seemed to be a little shaken and he muttered a little under his breath. "I chose Sue because she was one of the finest agents in the Bureau. As a partnership, you and Miss Thomas were unstoppable, the pride of the FBI. I needed to destroy the FBI, and what better way than to ruin their best agents. I waged a psychological and physical war on the two of you. And though you didn't die, like you were supposed to, I'm pretty sure I made a lasting impression on you and especially on Sue."

Bobby jumped in again, "You will never refer to her as 'Sue'. You will call her Agent Thomas. Understand?"

The confident look was back again. "You, know, I never considered that there could be a love triangle. Jack loves his girlfriend, but also loves Agent Thomas. But look, the Aussie, the best friend is also head over heals for this woman."

At this, Jack grabbed the tape recorder from the table and Bobby's arm, and marched them both out of the interrogation room. As soon as the door was closed, he motioned for the two agents to escort Gabriel Grant back to his cell.

"Come on, Bobby. Let's go see how Sue is doing. I need a break from talking to that monster."

5:10 pm

Lucy knocked on the door, and waited until Lauren opened it a crack. "I heard Sue was awake. Could I see her please?"

Sue's mom immediately nodded. "Of course you can. She wanted to talk to you."

Lucy entered the room and caught sight of her best friend. But she was pushed aside as Levi raced over to his mistress. Sue opened her eyes when she felt the cold wet nose pushing on her hand and looked down at her loyal dog. Tears began to stream down her face.

"Oh, Levi, I thought you were dead. I watched him shoot you. I'm so glad you're alright!"

Lucy came and sat down on a chair next to her best friend's bed. She, too, was crying as she witnessed the reunion and heard Sue's voice for the first time in several days. "I'm so glad you're alright," she said as she signed to the deaf woman. "I've been worried sick about you."

"It's good to see you." Sue's eyes closed for a moment, and Lucy thought she had drifted off to sleep again. But then she opened her eyes again and looked at her best friend and roommate. "I need to tell you something before I fall asleep again. You need to know. Gabriel Grant is a serial killer. He needs to be caught and brought to justice. He is an awful man and he hurt me so badly." Sue's voice dropped to a whisper. "He raped me, multiple times. You need to make sure Jack and Bobby know. They need to know."

Lucy had to bite her tongue to stop from crying. She nodded and said, "I'll make sure they know. He won't get away with this." She held Sue's hand as the blonde fell back into a deep sleep.

She sat like that for a few more moments. Then, Lauren's voice broke the silence. "I'm glad that she told you. The doctors did an initial test with a rape kit, and it definitely came back positive. We wanted to tell you, but we felt that Sue should decide who would know about that. I am really glad you know. When Jeffrey and I go back to Ohio, she will need someone she trusts with her."

Lucy couldn't speak. She couldn't even imagine what horrors Sue must have gone through with that monster. She simply nodded at Mrs. Thomas as she walked out of the room and looked back at her friend.

It was then that Jack tapped on the door and stepped inside, followed by Bobby. "D said that Sue was awake."

"She was for a little while, but she is still on some heavy pain killers. She fell back asleep just a few moments ago," Lucy said. "She did want to tell you both something though. She said that Grant is a serial killer and that he raped her. She wants you to make sure that he is brought to justice."

Bobby looked incredulously at the dark-skinned woman, anger evident on his face. But Jack just stood there quietly.

"I wish that I had pulled the trigger when I had the chance. That drongo-." Bobby was so angry he couldn't even finish the sentence. There was no insult in his vocabulary that could adequately express his hatred.

Jack spoke, "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas told me earlier. They asked me to keep it quiet since Sue deserves to determine who knows about it. They wanted to make sure that Grant was charged accordingly and brought to justice."

Lucy looked relieved that Jack already knew; it was hard enough witnessing Bobby's fury. She stood up from the chair and took Bobby by the arm. "Come on, I think you need to go to a gym or something."

Bobby allowed himself to be lead out of the room and into the hallway. Jack, however, stayed in Sue's hospital room.

"Sorry I missed seeing you awake. I would really like to hear your voice again. I've missed you so much the past few days. It kind of made me think of how I would have felt if you had taken the job in New York and left DC. I would have missed you every second of every single day. But I am so grateful that you are here with us today. That you're here with me.

"Allie told me to take a chance with you and actually ask you out on a date instead of just going to dinner as friends. Your mother also seemed to want me to date you. They both saw how much I love you. I just need to figure out a way to make that happen without breaking any rules at work.

"Please, Sue. I want you to wake up and talk. I want to see your beautiful eyes and hear your lovely voice. I've missed you so much, my beloved Sue."

Jack fell silent, just watching the woman of his dreams as she gently breathed in and out. The heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm, reassuring Jack that Sue was, indeed, alive. Gradually, his head drooped, and rested on the edge of the bed, his hand resting on Sue's.

He slept peacefully, without any nightmares or worries about the wonderful woman that had captured his heart so completely. He gradually awoke to something moving near him. He opened his eyes, and first saw Levi staring up at him. Then he looked up and saw blue eyes looking into his own.

"Sue," he breathed out in complete wonder and relief.

She smiled at him, the smile that was saved only for him. "Hi, Jack."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm floating on air. I think they have me on too many pain medications. But I am mainly happy to be alive. I didn't think that I would make it for a while, there."

"Well, I've never known Sue Thomas to give up. You pulled through."

They were both quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. Then Sue looked over at him, and asked, "Did Lucy tell you?"

"Yes, she did. Don't worry. We'll make sure he isn't given any leniency in court. We got him already. He is already in our custody. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

Sue sighed in relief. One concern was taken off her mind. Jack reached up his other hand to hold hers, but it pulled on his stomach a little. He winced as his wound made its presence known.

Unfortunately for him, Sue was watching his face, and didn't miss the small expression. "Jack, what happened? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing. Just another scar to show and tell."

"Jack." Sue didn't have to say anything else.

"Grant shot me, but the vest caught it. It was point blank, so it caused some minor damage. I had to get some staples to keep the edges together, but I wasn't even prescribed pain meds. I really am okay."

Sue seemed to relax a little. "I'm glad that you weren't hurt too badly. You promised that you wouldn't get killed. It would be a shame to find out that you don't keep your promises."

Jack laughed, simply glad to hear that she was teasing him. "Well, you need to promise me that you won't get kidnapped or be targeted by evil men anymore."

Sue pretended to think for a moment, then fingerspelled "Deal."

They chuckled. The couple sat in silence, then Jack suggested that they watch a movie together. She laughed when he pulled out Star Wars from a small bag. He blushed a little bit.

"It's a classic. I swung by my apartment and packed a bag of books and movies for you. I figured, once you woke up, you would be pretty bored. So I came prepared."

"You're right, it is a classic." Sue watched as Jack figured out how to operate the DVD player in her hospital room. She felt her heart warm when he put on subtitles and turned down the volume. He was willing to watch a movie with her without the sound.

She fell asleep shortly after the movie started, but Jack didn't mind. He sat by her bedside, holding her hand and would watch as she slept peacefully.

"I'm glad you're back, Sue."


	10. Progress and Healing

The waiting room was beginning to feel like home, with how much time he had spent there recently. Jack filled up his cup of water, and went to sit next to Tara. It was two days after Sue had been found, and the team was working to try to figure out if Gabriel Grant had previous victims.

"So far, I've only been able to find a record of him in Charlottetown. That was three years ago. He was working as a bank teller at the time. He went by Gabe and kept a low profile there.

"During the same time that he was living in Charlottetown, a prominent judge disappeared. Her family reported stalker-like emails on her computer, and then silence. She was found three weeks later in her office. There was evidence of some severe bruising and a few broken bones. Pinned to her jacket, was a note that said, **"You Lost."** The killer was never found."

"Good work, Tara. Do you have a name for the judge?"

"Leah Johannson."

"Thanks, we'll throw her name at Grant and see if he breaks."

Jack wrote down the name and stood up, ready to go see Sue and then join Myles in the interrogation room. Tara stopped him from going too far. "I got a call from Bailey Thomas. She was wondering if there was anything else she could do to help us find Sue. I told her that we found Sue and that we have Grant in our custody right now. I also took down her number. I figured Bailey is the type of person that Sue would become good friends with, if she wanted to meet her. Would you mind telling Sue about Bailey and giving her the number?"

"I think that's a great idea. Thank you Tara."

The tech genius nodded, then went back to typing on her computer. She had her cell phone in her other hand and was in the process of dialing the number for the police department in Charlottetown.

Jack smiled at her then turned and walked down the hospital hall to Sue's room. She had been moved from the ICU the day before and she now had a room with quite the view out of the window. Jack spent as much time as he could by her side, even if she was sleeping. Just having Sue near was calming for him after the terror and stress of the last week.

"Enjoying the view?" Sue asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized that he had reached her room and had just been standing in the doorway.

"The city looks absolutely beautiful tonight. The first snow of the season is always my favorite."

"Mine too. There's something so magical about watching the snow fall across a city particularly at night."

Jack came into the room and took a seat next to Sue's bed. She had been improving much over the last few days. Her bruises weren't as tender, though they had turned yellow and green rather than blue and purple. She was able to sit up in bed by herself and move her arm enough to move the straw towards her mouth. For someone who was very determined and stubborn, Jack figured she would not want to be limited for much longer.

The one thing that had been getting worse for Sue was her nightmares. She woke up every few hours screaming. But waking up didn't necessarily help her escape her nightmares. If there was a man in her room, regardless if he was her father, Jack, or a phlebotomist, she would think that he was her kidnapper. The first time this had happened, Bobby had been in the room, taking a turn watching out for her.

"I had never felt so helpless," Bobby had said. "If I got too close, she would become hysterical and try to fight me. And she was screaming for Jack, or me, or anybody that could help her. It was absolutely terrifying."

When Sue had found out about this episode, she had been extremely embarrassed and had apologized multiple times the big Aussie. He understood, and told her that he didn't blame her in any way, but Sue still felt guilty.

That was when the rest of the team found out about Sue being mistreated so horribly. Everyone was shocked and horrified, some were more angry about it, others just sad. Bobby wasn't allowed to interrogate Gabriel Grant anymore, because the last time they had interacted, Bobby had to be dragged from the room before he hurt that man.

Jack, however, had gotten past the murderous rage that was filling Bobby. Instead, he quietly checked up on Sue and made sure that she was doing better. The entire team had been given the rest of the week off, to catch up on sleep and recuperate before heading back to work. Sue had had a constant stream of visitors and well wishers. Charlie and Troy had come to see her, as well as Howie and Mr. Gomez. Sue had thanked them both for coming forward with information regarding her kidnapping. Had they not helped, Levi might have ended up dead and she would still be in the hands of that madman.

Sue gently touched Jack's hand. "You're quiet tonight. Is everything okay?" she asked him.

Jack looked at her, with tears in his eyes. "Just thinking about all of the people who helped us find you. Without them, I don't even want to think about what would have happened."

"It's in the past, Jack. We need to keep going and not let him control our lives. Don't waste time worrying about what could have been. It's over now."

"I know, but every time I sleep, it just haunts me. But, you're right. There's no use worrying about something that won't happen. Which reminds me, Tara told me that there is a lady that would like to meet you. She gave us a lot of tips that really helped us figure out where you were. Her name is Bailey Thomas. She was the wife of Grant ten years ago, or so. She would like to meet you."

"I would like to meet her. Bailey, you said? Do you have her number?"

Jack smiled and placed the paper Tara had given him onto Sue's lap. "I figured you might want it." He sat quietly next to her for a moment, holding her hand like he had done so many times before. Jack could see himself sitting contentedly next to this amazing woman for the rest of his life. Finally, he looked at his watch and realized he was running a little late. "Well, I have to go. Myles is waiting for me. But are we still on for a movie tonight?"

"Of course. Drive safely."

Myles stood behind the one-way glass, observing Grant as he sat at the table, waiting for someone to come and question him today. The socialite Harvard man hadn't always approved of having Sue Thomas as an FBI agent. But many things had changed since he had thought that. She had personally saved his job, something he found out from D months later, as well as helped him when he was having a panic attack. Sue had proved that she understood criminals and that there were also good people in the world, who did tell the truth. She had taught him to change his perspective on the people he chased every day.

Regardless of what lessons Myles had learned from the deaf woman, he still could not find it in himself to have any compassion for Gabriel Grant. The man was twisted and horrible. Every time Myles closed his eyes, he could see Sue's face when she told him about what Grant had done to her. She was broken and hurting, but still going. She was vulnerable, but she also had shown her strength at that moment. Myles had sworn to himself that her kidnapper would receive the full justice of the law for all of the crimes he committed against her.

Myles glanced at his watch and noticed that Jack was fifteen minutes late. His first reaction was to gripe and growl at Jack when he walked through the door just a few minutes later. But then he noticed the scent of the hospital, and kept his mouth shut.

"Tara gave us the name of a judge that was found murdered after missing for three weeks. The same type of emails were sent to a Leah Johannson. She might be another of his victims."

"We'll throw that name out there and see what his reaction may be. Is Tara getting in touch with the police in that jurisdiction so we can see the evidence from the case?"

"She was calling them when I left to go see Sue for a few minutes."

"Good. Now let's go nail this guy for murder."

Sue sat up in her hospital bed, wincing slightly as her various injuries made their presence known. She looked down at her beloved dog, who was draped over her legs in a protective fashion. She stroked his ears and said, "You know what they say. Pain lets you know you are still alive. I just wish it didn't let me know I'm alive every other second." But I am alive, she thought. _Dear God, thank you for hearing my prayers and the prayers of my friends. Thank you for sending Jack to save me. And thank you for bringing Levi back to me. I don't know what I would do without all the people you have put into my life_. She had said a similar prayer more times in a day then she could count, since she woke up safe in the hospital.

There had been very few moments when Sue was left alone in her room. Usually her parents, Lucy, or Jack were there to keep her company. But tonight, she was alone. Sue looked out of the window in her hospital room and gazed out over the city that she had grown to love. A gentle snow, the first of the season, was starting to fall, creating a sense of peace. Sue was reminded of a night similar to this, not too long ago, that she made a decision to stay. Her friends, or her family really, were the most important people to her, besides her own family.

Though he didn't know it, Jack had been the biggest reason that she had chosen to stay in DC. Though she had fallen in love with him by that time, Sue knew that by staying, she would not be able to date him. But she could see him every day at work. They could still go to dinner together, as friends, multiple times a week. And in the year since she had made that decision, they had grown even closer as friends.

If, at any time, they were able to date, Sue was ready to take that step with him. And she would wait, regardless of how long it would take.

Sue watched the snow fall, enjoying the peace of the moment. I am able to see this sight because of so many people. _Howie, Mr. Ricardo, Bailey Thomas, plus my teammates. I am so grateful for their courage and dedication. They inspire me to be a better person and to reach out to the less fortunate_.

Myles had been very sweet. Since her blackberry was considered evidence, she didn't have a way to communicate with people on a telephone. But then, Myles had used his own money and gotten her a brand new phone. She picked up the new electronic and typed in the number Jack had given her for Bailey Thomas.

 **Thomas. How can I help you?**

"Hi, my name is Sue Thomas. I understand that you gave information to the FBI that helped them find me."

 **You're the one that was kidnapped! I'm so glad that you are okay.**

"Thanks to you and your tip."

 **I had actually called Tara Williams not too long ago. I was wondering if it would be alright for me to visit. I would really like to meet you.**

"That's actually why I am calling. I would like to meet you too. Are you free to meet me tomorrow?"

 **Absolutely. I'll be there around three. I'm excited to see you.**

"I'll see you at three, Miss Thomas."

 **Please call me Bailey.**

"Alright, Bailey. See you tomorrow."

Sue hung up the phone and gave a big sigh. She always enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. Again, Sue felt the peace that she could only feel when she was full of gratitude towards God and everything He had done for her. Though she still had nightmares of those awful days, she was getting better, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Having so many people around her that loved and supported her was a big part of her recovery process.

Sue looked out the window again and smiled. She was going to be okay.

Gabriel Grant was acting just as cocky as he had all the other times Jack had interrogated him. Myles was getting frustrated and had to get up and pace to keep from losing his temper at the man.

Jack leaned forward and looked Grant in the eye. His eyes held secrets, buried in their icy depths. "Look, you can confess to the crimes you've committed or you can keep dodging questions. Either way, we will find out the truth and we will send you to prison. We found a name from your past. Leah Johannson. She was a prominent judge in Charlottetown where you lived three years ago. And she was found murdered after missing for several weeks."

Grant sat silent as Jack spoke. Then he smiled. "If you think that you can get me to confess to a murder, let me tell you something." He leaned forward until he was less than a foot from Jack's face. "You know nothing." He sat back and continued to have that smile on his face.

Even though the man had seemed completely unaffected by the insinuation that he had killed a judge, Jack had been watching his steely eyes. And he had seen a flicker of worry, a shadow of fear. Jack also leaned back in his chair. "We know more than you realize." He stood up and left the interrogation room, followed by Myles.

The teammates went into the observation area and looked through the one-way glass. Myles looked at Jack. He had a hard look on his face and a stubborn set to his jaw. "May I ask why we just left that interrogation. We should have pressed him longer."

"Myles, we need more information about the Johannson case. Besides, we might have just broken through his armor. His eyes were his giveaway. If he thinks we know something, he is more likely to get nervous and give us information, even if it's unintentional. We can't let this kidnapping case go to trial. Sue shouldn't have to testify and relive those awful days anymore than she already does."

Myles nodded and turned towards the glass, observing the cold-hearted man on the other side. "We will get him, Jack."

The next day, Sue was full of nervous energy as she waited for three o'clock to come around. Bailey was a person of mystery for her. The hours seemed to drag on, a neverending parade of nurses and doctors coming in to check her vitals and her various injuries. Lucy came about one in the afternoon, and helped her do her hair and makeup so that she looked presentable.

Before Sue felt ready, there was a tap on her hospital room door. The door opened and a woman about her own age came into the room. Her face was full of concern, but contained a sense of peace with the world. Levi thumped his tail on the bed in greeting.

"Hi, come on in. I'm Sue. And this is Levi."

"I'm Bailey. I'm so glad that you're safe. I was so worried about you. I was praying for you every second I could."

"Thank you so much for everything you did for me and for my team. I'm really happy that I get to meet you."

Bailey walked over to Sue's bed and sat down in the chair next to it. "Is there anything I can do for you? Get you some water, maybe?"

Sue smiled at the woman. "I'm fine. What I would like is to get to know you. Where are you from?"

"I was raised in California, but I went to school in New York. I was going to become an actress, but things changed and I decided to become a stay-at-home wife."

"But, you're not doing that right now?"

Bailey laughed. "Goodness, no. I am a dispatcher for the DCPD. It's a fantastic job. But, what about you? Did you always want to be an FBI agent?"

Sue smiled. "No, when I was little, I wanted to be a figure skater. Then as I got older, I got more interested in law enforcement. The FBI was the first Bureau to accept a deaf person. And it has definitely been a rewarding experience. You never know who you're going to meet that might change your life forever."

"Is Levi your hearing dog?"

"Yes. And our team's all-around wonder-dog."

The two women spent the next two hours talking, getting to know each other, before Bailey eventually stood.

"It has been so nice talking to you. I wish I could stay even longer, but, unfortunately, duty calls. When you are feeling better and are out of the hospital, we will definitely have lunch sometime." Bailey leaned over the bed and gently hugged her new friend. _Sue had been right_ , she thought. _You never know who you might meet that will end up changing your life._


	11. A New Development

**Hey everyone! I finally got past my writer's block on this story so I am finally updating. Yay! I also updated my other Sue Thomas story so, if you get a chance, go read that too. I always love hearing from my readers and if you have suggestions please let me know.**

Lucy helped Sue out of her car and up the stairs to their apartment. Sue was finally released from the hospital after nearly three weeks of being in the hospital, with weekly check-ups to ensure that her various injuries were healing well and were not getting infected. Levi barked and nearly knocked the two friends over in his eagerness to be home. They opened the door and were greeted with the sight of several bouquets of flowers and baskets filled with sweets and goodies.

"There's no place like home," Sue said, a smile on her face. She carefully made her way to her bedroom, stopping at each vase to see who they were from. The flowers smelled delightful, banishing the smell of the hospital from her nose.

Lucy followed her friend into the bedroom, carrying the small suitcase with her. "It's so good to have you home. The place has been so lonely without you.

"Well, the best way to celebrate me being home is some takeout and a nice chick flick. I'm thinking _Princess Diaries_. What about you?"

Lucy smiled at Sue. "Sounds wonderful. I'll go call the restaurant down the block and have them deliver some food for us. You get changed into some comfy pajamas. We'll have a nice girl's day in." The dark-skinned beauty turned before she went out the door. "You might want to call Jack and let him know that you got home safe and are released from the hospital. I swear that boy hasn't had a decent sleep for two weeks."

"Okay, I will. You just go get some food. And maybe find a cheesecake while you're at it."

Lucy left the room, and Sue sat on the bed scratching Levi's ears as she thought about her experience the past two weeks. _Thank you, God. You watched over me and kept me safe. Thank you for hearing my prayers and helping Jack find me. I am so glad to be alive and be able to be home. Bless Jack and Lucy and D, Myles, Bobby, and Tara. They all worked so hard to find me. They are truly the greatest gifts that you have ever given me. Father, please help Gabriel Grant find peace in his life, and find you. He has done bad things, but he is still your son, so bless him._

Before putting on some pajamas, Sue dug out her new phone and called Jack, hoping that she wasn't interrupting a case. After the first ring, her friend picked up.

 **Hudson**.

"Hey Jack. It's Sue."

 **Are you alright?**

"I'm fine, Jack. I just wanted to let you know that they let me out of the hospital. I'm home now."

 **What? That's great to hear. How are you feeling?**

"I'm doing well. Still a little sore, but glad to back at home." Sue paused for a moment, watching the screen to see if Jack would say anything else. But he seemed to be at a loss of words.

"Um, I wanted to thank you for the lovely bouquet that you left here. How did you know that peonies are my favorite flower?"

 **Let's just say a little bird told me. I'm glad you liked them. You should rest. I want to see you here in the office as soon as possible. I miss my partner.**

"I'll be back before you know it. Tell everyone hi for me."

 **Will do. Bye Sue.**

"Bye, Jack."

Once she hung up, Sue sent a text to her parents, letting them know that she was out of the hospital, since they had had to go back to Ohio a few days earlier. Once she was done changing, Sue went out into their living room, ready to spend a relaxing evening in her own home with her best friend.

It was a few days until Sue was well enough to leave the apartment, and it took those few days to convince Lucy to take her to the Bureau to visit their friends. And when the day came, the deaf agent was excited to leave, even more so than Levi.

"Are you sure you should be leaving the house this soon?" Lucy asked Sue as they walked down the flight of stairs to her car.

"The sooner my life can go back to normal, the sooner I can put this whole experience behind me. I want to see everyone and thank them. They sacrificed so much to help me, the least I can do is bring them these cookies I made." Sue held up the covered plate that had been her project all morning.

"Well, okay. They will certainly be happy to see you. We've missed you at the office. The place just isn't the same."

Once Levi was safely in the backseat, and the two women buckled up, they headed towards the office. It felt good to be out and seeing the sights of Washington DC, rather than the inside of a hospital room or a bedroom. And it felt even better to be heading to the Bureau to at least see her friends, even if she wasn't able to do any work.

They pulled into the parking lot and Sue carefully got out of the car, trying to keep her balance. Her wounds had mostly healed, but her body was still sore from all the trauma it had experienced. Thankfully, the walk to the elevator was not far, and their office was only down the hall.

When the two friends walked into the bullpen, all of their friends were gathered around the coffee pot. They didn't notice Sue until Levi barked.

"Sue! What are you doing here?" Tara asked.

Bobby walked over to Sue, sweeping her into a hug, mindful of her tender ribs and other injuries. "Well, I don't care what you're doing here. I'm just glad that you're here. The rest of these yahoos are dull."

Sue laughed and returned the hug. "It's so good to see you all again. You know without being in the hospital. Are you working on any cases? Need my expertise to help you save the world?"

Myles chuckled and stepped forward. "You're hardly the expert around here. But, having you around would help lift Jack's spirits. The man's been poisoning the room with his moping."

"What can I say, I'm lost without my partner," Jack said, stepping towards Sue. They shared a smile, just basking in the feeling of seeing each other again. The others just shared meaningful looks. They all could see the tension between them, the mutual attraction that had been budding since the very first day.

Sue looked away first, remembering one of the reasons that she had come. She set the plate of cookies next to the coffee machine. "I baked these for you all, as a thank you for not giving up and for being my heroes. Also, I wanted to let you know, I want to throw a dinner party two weeks from this Saturday as a thank you. I would love to see all of you there."

"I would never miss a chance to try your cooking," said Bobby.

"I'll be there. And Donna will probably want to be there too," D said as he gave Sue a hug.

"She's always welcome."

Tara and Myles also confirmed that they would come to the party. Sue grinned and turned to Jack. "What about you?"

Jack looked around and saw the knowing looks in his coworkers eyes and the hope in Sue's. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sue and Lucy cheered. The two of them always loved planning parties and this was one thing that would help Sue take her mind off of what had happened to her.

With the invitations to the party given to her team, as well as Charlie and Troy, Sue was ready to start planning. Only problem was, a week before the party, she was sitting on the cold floor of the bathroom, waiting for another round of nausea to hit. Lucy poked her head into the room, getting Sue's attention.

"Are you sure you're alright? You've been sick for the last three days. I think you should go see a doctor."

"I made an appointment for today. Don't worry, once I get past this, and eat something, I should be well enough to go to the hospital."

Lucy looked doubtful at Sue's words, but couldn't really argue. She had to go into work anyway, and wouldn't be able to help her friend.

"Okay, well, let me know if you need anything while I'm gone. We seem to be getting low on supplies for chicken noodle soup."

"Honestly, chicken noodle soup sounds awful right now. I've eaten too much of it in the last month."

Lucy chuckled a little bit. "Well, keep you phone nearby, just in case. And let me know what the doctor says."

Sue smiled reassuringly at her roommate and shooed her out the door. With a sigh, she heaved herself off of the floor and staggered into her bedroom to change into something more appropriate than pajamas.

Half an hour later, Sue grabbed her purse and keys, and followed Levi out the door, on her way to the hospital.

Lucy was busy organizing files for the team's last few cases when her phone rang. With one hand, she picked up the phone, focusing on the papers in her hands more than who was speaking to her.

"This is Lucy Dotson. What can I do for you?"

"Luce, can you meet me for lunch? I need to talk to you." Sue's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding almost as if she was crying.

"Sue, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'll tell you over lunch. This isn't something that can be said over the phone. Will you meet me at the Olive Garden near our apartment?"

"Yeah, of course. Does 12:30 sound good?"

"That's fine. Oh and Lucy, will you bring Jack with you? This is kind of big and he will want to hear it too."

"Sure. I'll see you soon. Be safe, Sue." Lucy hung up the phone, a little shocked at how desperate her friend had sounded. She wasn't sure what exactly could have caused Sue to almost panic like that.

"Lucy, you okay?" Jack's voice startled the rotor and she dropped the papers that she was holding. "Oh, sorry, Luce. Let me help you." The two of them knelt down and shuffled the files together into a pile.

"It's Sue. She's been sick the last three days. I thought it might be the flu, so I told her she should go to the doctor to get checked out. She just called and asked me to meet her for lunch so she could talk to me."

"I hope it's just her being sick. I hope it's not serious."

"Jack, she sounded scared. And she asked me to bring you."

His breath caught in his throat, as the implications of that information hit him. _Oh, I hope that she is okay. I couldn't handle it if Sue was hurt even more. After what happened last month, Sue needs to have some joy in her life. She needs to be safe._

"What time are we meeting her?"

"12:30 at the Olive Garden near us. I figure if we leave around noon, we'll make it in time."

"Let me talk to D and let him know where we are going. We have about two hours until we need to leave, so try to keep busy until then." Jack took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. _She's okay. She has to be. She's okay. She has to be_. Jack just repeated those words over and over again to himself, hoping that if he says it, then it would be true.

The hours pass by slowly, both friends worrying quietly for the deaf woman who had changed their lives so completely. The minutes seemed to tick by, each one echoing in Jack's head, each minute agonizingly slow, lasting an eternity.

Finally the clock struck noon, and Jack and Lucy both stood up and quickly gathered their belongings. By unspoken agreement, the two friends took Jack's car to meet Sue.

When they got to the restaurant, Sue was already waiting for them in the lobby, ready to get a table for the three of them. "Before you ask what's going on, let's order our food and then I'll tell you." They quickly sat down and looked over the menu. Neither Jack nor Lucy could really focus on what they were reading, too worried about their friend to be concerned about what they were eating. Sue however, took her time, discussing various choices with Levi, until she finally decided and placed her order.

"Okay, I'm not sure how to tell you this. I've been getting sick every day all week long, and I finally went into see my doctor. The news I received is life-changing, and I had to make a really big decision today; how the both of you respond will affect other decisions. But you both deserve to be the first ones to know."

Lucy exchanged a glance with Jack, both of them very worried. "Sue, what is wrong? What did the doctor say?" she asked.

Sue took a breath and seemed to send up a silent prayer for strength. "The doctor I went to go see isn't my usual one. I went to see an OBGYN. She said that I'm about four weeks pregnant. Gabriel Grant is the father." Sue leaned down to scratch Levi's head, rather than look at her friend's faces.

Jack sat back in his chair and blew out a deep breath. _Oh God. This is going to be hard to deal with. Poor Sue. Help me to know how best to support her and help her with this burden_.

Lucy waved to get Sue's attention, before reaching across the table to take her hand. "What do you want to do? Do you want to keep it?"

"Yes. While the circumstances are difficult, this baby was given to me from God, and I want it. I've always wanted a family, it's just going to be different than I planned." Sue took a deep breath, before speaking again. "I know that you didn't sign up for a baby, so I can look for a new apartment where you won't have to worry about waking up to a crying baby. I won't force you to deal with a baby."

"What are you talking about? I love babies and I want to help you. We are in this together, Sue. If you want this baby, then I will be there to get the weird cravings in the middle of the night for you. You're my best friend. I'm not gonna let you move out on my account." Lucy looked indignant that Sue would suggest leaving while she was pregnant, simply because she didn't want her roommate to be inconvenienced.

"You say that now, but wait until you can't sleep because the baby is sick. But I am glad that you want to help. After all, you are going to this baby's aunt and godmother," said Sue.

Lucy squealed in excitement at the idea of being able to be an aunt and godmother, something she hadn't exactly expected at this point in her life. But now that her life long secret dream was being fulfilled, she could not help but let the happiness overflow.

Jack, however, had not really said anything since Sue had broken the news. He seemed to be in shock.

"The other thing I wanted to discuss, is I don't think I should be working as a field agent any more. I can't put my baby at risk, and when it's born, the baby deserves to have its mother come home every night."

At this announcement, both Jack and Lucy were shocked into silence. Hurriedly, Sue rushed to reassure her two closest friends. "It's not like we are never going to be seeing each other again. I'm going to talk to personnel to find out if there are any job openings like the one I was offered in New York. Still saving the world, but not having to be the one to put the cuffs on the bad guy." Jack stopped her from rambling on further.

"If you are happy about this, then I am very happy for you. I would love to help you find a different job at the Bureau, as long as I get to help out with the baby. I've always loved my nieces and nephews, but I never get to see them."

Sue smiled brilliantly at the man she had given her heart to. "Good, because I was hoping you would be willing to be godfather."

Jack leaned across the table and grabbed Sue's hand, squeezing it. "I would love to. And if you need anything, ever, you know my number."

The three friends sat at the restaurant for another hour or so, talking about this big change for Sue. Before they left, Sue stopped Jack and Lucy. "I would like to keep this quiet for a little while. I think I would prefer to tell everyone all at once."

Lucy caught on immediately. "The party?"

Sue nodded. "Besides my parents and brothers, everyone I really care for is going to be at that party. I'll start looking for a different job after that. You know how word travels around the Bureau."

Lucy nodded her consent to this plan and then walked out of the building. Jack paused by Sue for a moment. "I am really happy for you. And I will be there for you every step of the way, Sue."

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, reveling in each other's company. Then Jack took a deep breath and turned towards the door. "Well, I better go. Lucy's waiting for me since we drove over together."

Sue nodded, and the to friends separated. After Jack left, Sue turned to Levi. "Well, that went well. I was afraid Jack would be upset about the baby or about me changing jobs, but he took it really well. I just wish that we could date without the Bureau breathing down our necks."

 **I want to see what you guys think. Should Sue find out the gender or wait til the baby is born? Also, do you want her to have a boy or a girl? Let me know in the comments.**


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